New Year, New Start

 Hello everyone and a happy new year to you all. I hope you had a good send off to 2022, personally I just stayed home which is what we always do and that suits us.  We had a couple of drinks and watched a few episodes of Yellowstone, we had to stay up downstairs even though we were tired as the fireworks scare the dogs so we stay and make sure that they are ok and it has all settled down before going to bed. My son went out early to the cinema and then around the pubs with his friends he was telling me how insanley crowded it was, how they couldn't get in anywhere to eat etc.  I thought yes that is exactly how I remember it and give me my evening over that any day!

We have had a nice relaxing day today, got up and did my quick pilates routine, then down with the tree and decorations.  I like it up early but once new year is done we like to clear it all away, though it does look bare without it. Then I made some coffee and walnut muffins in the mini oven.  I bought myself a six muffin tray that just fits my mini oven and I tried it out earlier.  The  idea being to still bake with less electric, they came out well if a few were a little caught on the top.  The thing with the mini oven is that everything is always so close to the elements top and bottom, you don't get that in the standard oven.  It does use a lot less power however and we have used a lot this last month.

Then did a bit of tidying up in the garden and off for a walk with the dogs before making the Sunday lunch when I got back. Also making some roasted pepper humous so I am going to do that shortly.

A  few intentions for this year...

• So one that I mentioned the other day was to do a little bit of art every week, I always used to just do this without any plan but it has somehow dropped off my radar so this will get me back in the habbit. There  will be no definite day for this I just want to create something each week for me, for fun.
• I am going to try and timetable my day a little better.  Work gets done, but sometimes I find myself tagging the dog walk to the end of the day or frantically running to the shop just before my husband gets home.  I also often skip lunch as I am busy sewing and always think to myself I will have something when I am finished but then it is too close to dinner time.  This is not good so I need to give myself some space and factor in some breaks to at least eat or walk the dogs while it is still light.  
• All future sewing projects are going to be noted in my scrapbook rather than just on paper, along with the sample and any notes.
• More trying out new recipes, I did quite well with this but then got into a rut as the year went on this year.  So I will try and document those to keep me on track.

That is as many as I am adding for now, I may add more as time goes on but they do say try to do too much at once and it is asking for failure.  It is also true that it takes a while to develop a new habit so getting a few to stick before adding in more is the way to go. 

Because I felt it was going to feel bleak now that the tree is down my husband took my little bottle from the homemade gin my friend gave me and put some of the little lights inside.  It is now on the mantle piece I just need to take the label off the wire.

It is not blue in real life just a cool white.

Just in case any of you would like a better peak at my sewing space I filmed a little tour for youtube yesterday and here is the link if you want to watch.

See it here, watch the video

Have a lovely evening and I'll be back soon. 

Red Casual Top and a Positivity Blip

After cutting this top out last week I left it to simmer for a while, mainly because I wanted to add something to it but couldn't decide what.  The red is a good colour with a very faint sweatshirt distressed sort of look that it is hard to see in the images, think of the effect on denim blue but this is red?  Well maybe you get what I mean, I had seen a few t-shirts about with the little triangle detail at the neck so I decided to do that, I also used some mock piping on the sleeves  half way up for interest.

 As usual I only bought a metre so it was just £4.70, I also bought some binding but ended up making my own neck edging as I wanted it a particular way. Here it was straight off the machine, I have tried it on already and didn't feel like modelling it today it is too cold to keep getting changing and I am nesh as we say here.

The pale blue that I used is a piece from one of my husbands old shirts (they do get some use) and the mock piping on the sleeves is the same.

I like the effect of the little embossed stripe being on the diagonal, I just cut my sleeves out as two pieces, sandwiched it in and then topstitched.  I think it has added a bit of something rather than just a plain sleeve.

This is prior to ironing where it has sat on the worktable all week, it has been pressed now, Sunday is my ironing day anyway.  This used to bother me but now it is an opportunity to watch TED talks or listen to documentaries while I do it, it has given it a new meaning.

The fabric on this top is nice and soft and it just pulls on easy with quite a loose feel for me, just what I need with jeans because really these are the clothes that will get the most wear.  Now I am on the lookout for more little details  that I can add to tops to make them a bit different.  There are quite a few nice ideas fro Pinterest that I have save a lot of those involve pleating in different ways so this may be my next experiment.

It has been a funny week, and not in an amusing way.  I know we all have these weeks where it feels like buzz words and new phrases,  for things that have gone wrong pop up  I am trying to remain positive, reframe situations, see them for the passing phases that they are but sometimes I do wonder about this.  Are we just constantly making the best of things, convincing ourselves that this is just the way it is and if only we had the right 'mindset' (there's one for you) we wouldn't bother with these problems

Well I think perhaps not, if we only ever framed anything in a positive light then we would never move forward with anything, we would always have a shut up and be grateful attitude.  While I am not disputing the merits of being grateful there are times when we do feel enough is enough and at those times maybe we should be exploring something else.  I came from a family where it was very apparent you should be grateful and not rock the boat, my first job was a dreadful low paid factory where I stitched machine buffers that gave off plastic smoke, I had no mask and was often coughing.  I left after three years for a bar job that I enjoyed at the time, my parents were horrified that I had left a steady position even if I hated it and it made me feel ill.  They had always worked the same job and the thought of change or taking that chance were very alien concepts to them.  My mum is very different these days and will often say no, no I wouldn't have that do something else.  It is as if in retirement she suddenly has all the answers she never did when in the workforce herself.  I suppose everything is easier when you are looking back.

 I would like to here your thoughts on positivity, reframing  and just keeping on.  Are we just burying our heads in the sand and avoiding the necessary action needed for real change, or is it the only sane way to keep going when faced with nonsense day after day?   I would love to hear any opinions you may have and I will respond to all comments.

Broccoli, Potato and Cashew Bake and Feeling Good

Just this past week I have been feeling a lot more energised, not as tired in the evening and generally better about things.  I had made a decision a couple of weeks ago to have a break from consuming any alcohol at all, not that I have a lot but I do buy a bottle of wine at the weekend.  There are also times my husband comes home with a few bottles of lager and I will have one of those, again not a lot but it doesn't help when I am easily prone to a sensitive stomach.  So I decided I would have a break (no particular fixed time) and see how things went. 

Well you wouldn't think this would bother anyone else would you? However when my mum and mother in law plus her husband came for lunch last weekend you would have thought it affected them. I didn't bring it up but when the wine came out they said why are you not drinking, I replied I didn't want one, oh why not? I stated I was giving my body a little rest, oh that's just silly! Have one , just one, why not?   So strange as this was I declined and stuck to it but I can't get over how bothered they were by it.

So that said I'm not suggesting that my increased energy is just down to cutting out a few glasses of wine but I have been more proactive at sticking to other things I like do and that make me feel good.
Everyday for the past fifteen days I have done a pilates routine with Robin Long , often two as these ones are short.  I have done these before but sometimes in the past I have missed days telling myself I was tired or I had been busy that day, no more of that, they take no time at all but you can really feel it the next day so I know they are effective.  Some of the routines you feel more than others.
I have made time to read every day and also practice my guitar and learn a few new songs, this always makes me feel relaxed.

The cook books have had a rest and I have made up quite a few new recipes this week,  further more I have enjoyed everything I have had to eat, there have been lots of fruit salads as all the lovely fruit is in season.  In addition to the fruit salads if I felt a bit peckish later in the day I have had a thin slice of my homemade bread toasted, this has kept me off the crisps, another bad habit I had fell into.  So while I do have a healthy diet being vegan there were still a few slips with the salty crisps and the beer and wine, if I can try to keep these things out it gives my body an easier time processing everything.  It's not for everyone I know, I'm just going with what works for me.

So one of the things I made this week was a Broccoli, Potato and Cashew Bake.  Now this is what I did and there are no precise amounts as I was just popping things in as I went.

Two good sized potatoes were peeled and finely sliced, then I put them in the microwave for seven minutes. I set that aside and fried a red onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, at the same time steam the broccoli.
Then I mixed vegan cheese sauce powder with a little water and poured that into the frying pan, along with one heaped tbsp. of nutritional yeast flakes plus salt and pepper.
Next I added a little more water then some alpro soya cream.  In the blender I added a handful of cashew nuts and blasted those, then I put half in the cheese sauce mixture.
Lay the broccoli in an oven proof dish, place the potatoes over the top pouring over the sauce, then more potatoes more sauce and finally the last of the nuts on top.  I gave the top a little drizzle of olive oil too.  Bake for about twenty minutes.

I enjoyed it and it was well balanced nutritionally, the good thing is there was enough left for work the next day too.

A Walk in the Sun and Fabric Bargains

Toady is such a lovely day that when I took the dogs out I decided to take a few pictures. It makes such a difference to my mood when the sun is shining that I have to get outside and enjoy some of it, we really do not get enough of it in England to let it go to waste!
There were lots of people in the park already at 10.00, dog walkers and people with children on bikes, I think everyone must have been waiting for this little bit of sunshine because I often don't see anyone when I'm walking in there and I find that odd.  The daffodils make me smile so I had to take a few photos of those.

Things are beginning to come alive and it reminds me that we have a new start every day, whatever happened yesterday we can be thankful for the day ahead and what we make of it. There were lots of beautiful daffodils in the park but I was struck by these here at the base of this old tree.

The sun coming through the trees was lovely but my camera didn't capture it fully, it will be nice to get out for more daylight walks. I just need to get my dogs walking nicely together, at the moment it is a constant battle for who can be out in front!

This little guy always wants to be in front.

Yesterday I had a trip into Barnsley and got some fabric for £2.99, it is supposed to be a slight second but the run in the fabric didn't come up while the assistant was cutting my piece.  I want to make a top, I really need to make more tops but I always look at the fabric and think mmm... I could get a dress out of that.  Then I wear jeans and think why haven't I got many tops?  So I need to stick to the plan this time.

I also bought a couple of concealed zips, some lining, a couple of metres of elastic in addition to the above fabric. It came to £8.08, so cheap in that shop!

I have a few other projects I need to get on with before I start on this though, that is why I bought the lining and zips. There is some fabric that has been in my sewing space since last year, I don't know why some of it gets left so long and other fabrics are used straight away it's a mystery.

Feeling Positive

After a shaky start to last week I am feeling much more positive, there are so many things that I wouldn't change that it left me thinking why was I feeling so low about the new term. I have a choice in what I do and if an opportunity presents itself that I think is better then I will act on it, otherwise I will do my best with a smile on my face and not let trivial things spoil my day.

Here are some wonderful quotes that I want to share, these are my favourites...

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can,and the wisdom to know it's me.  -Author unknown

I'm working on it!

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.  - Berthold Auerbach

I have music on in the car every day on the way to work and it never fails to lift my mood.

All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads to complaining,but it's truer to say that complaining leads people to become unhappy. -Dennis Prager

This is one to think about. I tend to think that talking things overs helps but are we in fact fuelling the misery?
There has to be a balance though, a person who goes through life thinking everything is glorious while walls are crashing down around them may be unrealistic if not annoying.
If disaster does strike then I think you are allowed a moan.

Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!-Amanda Bradley

Thank you friends, you know who you are.
All these quotes are from Inspiration Line