A Legacy of Posies

When I was growing up, we always had little posies of flowers round the house.  My Dad took great pleasure in picking his first Fuchsia or sweet pea of the year for my mum.   My mum loved to find tiny flowers to fill a little jug for the table or windowsill.

When I returned from University on one of my weekend visits, there would always be a pretty little vessel of flowers on my bedside table to welcome me home.  Always.  Depending on the time of year, it would either be a colourful display of roses, petals scattered on the surrounding surface and scent filling the air, or in the leaner months of winter, a little bunch of seed heads and greenery. It was a message - "Welcome home.  We've missed you and we think you're wonderful." 

I think my parents were of the opinion that even a splash of green was better than no living thing present in a room to remind you of the vast world outside.
Flowers have always played such an important and special part of my life, from these every day memories, to the bouquet of homegrown flowers from Dad's garden I carried on my wedding day - picked by myself and my bridesmaids that morning.

I wasn't as scared as I look, honest!

The flower filled marquee we got married in - and I mean filled to the brim!  I think the whole town emptied their gardens!

The dress I decorated with hand painted vows and flowers.

And from the field of flowers that filled our house when our eldest son was born, to the simple bunch of first of Spring daffs that kept us company in some of the most difficult hours, reminding us that life goes on.

I so wanted our garden here to offer opportunities for year round picking - nothing fancy - I can be creative, even with the scantest of blooms.  So, I crept outside this morning in the absolute chill - the ground crunching under my feet, and found just a few little things to fill my new jug - bought on our last trip to Bath.
It's a tiny thing, but in so many ways, I feel like it's part of my heritage.  I feel like I am carrying on an important family tradition.  And very time I do it, it reminds me that life goes on and we are surrounded by such beauty, if we just stoop to notice it.

One day, I hope my boys will likewise gather tiny posies to bring into their homes to admire and bring cheer.

Easy like Sunday

 

Hello! Just popping in for a quick little chat on this fine, sunny day!  What a blessing it is when January affords us a few days like this - it makes you think, "Yep, I can make it to Spring - not long now!"

We've been making the most of it in the Welch household over the last couple of days and in keeping with my new found chilled out vibe at the weekend, we have had our first lunch around the fire outside. Yummy bacon and egg sandwiches.....mmmmmmmm

 

and a cup of tea.......there's something about that combination, isn't there?!  (Notice I am wearing my furry winter coat - it was still quite chilly outside - lovely though!)

I remember when Jonny was building this brilliant feature in our garden, it was such a struggle.  When you have a small baby in the house - everything seems like a colossal effort.  Just to find the time out from changing nappies and feeding is an achievement.  I once wrote to my best friend, who had a baby a few weeks old, that if all you had done all day was feed your baby - you'd done a whole day's work!  Squeezing in projects like building an outdoor fireplace - and at the time, a fort for our boys, was an extraordinary thing to be doing really.  It's such a prized corner of our tiny garden now though and many an opportunity to sit, cup of tea, or glass of wine in hand have been taken over the last couple of years.  We even spent last New Year's eve out there, watching the fireworks all around us and toasting the new year, snuggled up in blankets round a roaring fire.

I was contemplating this as we walked around Blackdown Hill this morning.   It was a scramble for the car as it always is with five boys, all of whom needed to be kitted out in wellies, hats, gloves and coats, but it was well worth the effort and I realised that recently, things have felt easier!  I'm telling you this, because I know it's something people have often said to me, "Oh, it does get easier!", as I stand with a child tucked under each arm, both screaming, the dinner ready to be served and the shopping still where it has been on the floor since it was delivered that morning.  This sort of chaotic scene is not uncommon in our house.  This IS our house most of the time.  Our house is chaos held together with threads of order.

However, They are right.  It does get easier and I am beginning, just beginning to see little chinks of light, where I catch myself thinking, "Why does this feel so easy?" and then I realise - it's because the older ones have got their own wellies on and are sitting in the car waiting.  Little by little it's getting easier to extend the moments of calm and enjoy.  This bit of parenting is physical hard work.  Every day is physical effort and it's no wonder we feel tired!  Gradually though there will be less of this and more of the harder bit of parenting;  the constant working out, pondering, ordering, second guessing and motivating you do!

It really is beautiful out there and we had a wonderful walk, watching the boys dodge oncoming walkers, bikes and numerous dogs and pretending to be on a great adventure.

 

I have also been working busily on etsy this week and have managed to list a few of my items over there, so do visit my little shop - won't you?

Well, for now I will love you and leave you - I'm off to find a pattern for a crochet ear warmer after our chilly walk on the highest place in Sussex (apparently).  Who knows, I may even get one finished in time for next Winter!

XXXXXXX

Happy Hour

 
What a lovely, sunny morning we've had here!  Truly a welcome change from the storms that have buffeted us over the last few days.  Days like this fill you with hope for the year ahead and certainly make my mind race with hundreds of ideas for projects I'd like to get done.  So, this morning I am ignoring the way the sunlight brings to life the dust and dirt of the winter months and just doing the cleaning I can - a new regime of "Friday Clean" for maximum weekend family time.  AND....the boys' sheets are drying on the line outside!  I know it's a small thing - but there is something so pleasurable about hanging washing outside for the first time this year - Spring is on her way and soon the house will not feel so much like a laundry and the washing will smell a little less like dinner!

Other than that, I have managed to balance The Clean with time with Noah.  I am determined to savour the days I have with him now his hours at Pre-school have increased.  So, this morning we played snap with his new Octonauts cards, animal dominoes, a Peppa Pig Floor puzzle and some Gruffalo colouring with his magic colour changing pens (How I loved these as a child - and the wonder has not gone with age - I enjoyed them as much as he did!)

I hope I don't sound smug - because believe me, most days this sort of perfect calm activity is not achieved and that's why I celebrate the days it does!
I even made myself a proper lunch of a yummy salad - something I am hoping to do as often as I can this year - too often I settle for a slice of toast (if that!  Naughty, naughty....).

The lovely sunshine and my new resolution to Love My Home inspired me to take a few photos to share with you of some things I love.  For Christmas my younger brother made us a beautiful wooden chopping board, which now sits proudly underneath one of my Dad's Trug baskets and next to his little spice grinder - ready to whip up some Kashmir Garam Masala at some point soon.

Our little kitchen window sill houses the Flour Jar I found in a charity shop in Bath for my bread and pasta making hubby - and some ceramic bottles bought from two sweet girls who had a table outside the village church a few months ago, raising money for their trip to faraway lands....

A cheeky comic strip sign hangs on the dresser - a gift from my good friend, Esther, who knows me so well!  The beaded "Home" sign at the top of this post was another gift from my friend Sally - a beautiful reminder to me every time I see it that that is what this place is.

The dresser contains a few of my cake stands, gleaned like treasure from charity shops over the years.  The Paper Pom pom was created for our Make Space Christmas Craft Night - but I can't quite bring myself to put it away, so it may stay there!  

A pretty pink plate found on Cinnamon Kid's stall at Grittenham Barn Craft market - a tiny treat to myself and other precious cakey things including a bowl and cupcake stand given to me by my mum and Auntie, a cupcake timer from my sister in law and a little piggy, found in the mud at my childhood home the day we went to do a final clear out.  My Dad loved pigs and this was probably a little ornament we gave him for a birthday when we were kids - so he remains a precious smile prompter of my Dad.

A beautiful cake plate from my Auntie, A blue teacup and saucer left here when we moved in, My Granny's favourite teacup with a very Sussex scene and two funky teacups found whilst Christmas shopping!

Yes, you can see we are Jamie fans in this house - perhaps it's all the pasta recipes!  And you can't go wrong with a bit of Nigella.  The Hummingbird Bakery book, a present from my friend Bev has already become sticky with use - always a good sign for a baking book!

The inventive gift tags our presents came with from my brother Tim and his wife Jo - aren't they lovely?!

So, I hope you've enjoyed the little tour around my kitchen.  It has made me realise how much I am surrounded by evidence of the generosity of others and the love that has been described in the many, many gifts we hold dear.  It does the soul good to have a peek around your home and see what reminds you of the people you love and how much they love you too.  Thank you to all my lovely friends and family who make this house a home.
xxxxxxx

Playing Hooky

 The children have gone back to school after what was one of the loveliest Christmas Breaks we have had for a good few years.  It was full and busy, as it always is, but especially in the few days grace between Christmas and school beginning I think I managed the most amazing feat for many mums - I relaxed!  Things in the house ticked over - the washing piled up a little more than usual, meals still got cooked, the vast mountain of recycling was dealt with....but no mad dashing round the house in a constant round of clearing away.  Let them play.

Walks in the woods to visit "Wildcat camp" happened.  Jigsaws were made. Family films were delighted in.  Cosying on the sofa under blankets was indulged in.  And it was really lovely - for everyone.  Mental note to self - the more chilled out I am - the more everyone in the house can relax.

So, on that note, I am sitting at my dining table with the rain and sunshine battling for who will win the day outside and dreaming about what this year will hold. this is something I rarely afford myself - little window of time to wander through the pages of a magazine, have a cup of tea (and a few cheeky chocolates) and think about some things I'd like to make happen this year.  There are lots of "must achieve" lists for this year, including on line shops, craft fairs and other such business venture things, but this mental check list is of a different kind.

Recently I've realised that it has been 5 years since we moved in to this house and although we have decorated it, I have never really "fallen in love" with it.  To be frank - I've been too busy having three more babies and working out where to put beds!  So, this year is all about loving my home.  It has some lovely corners, that given the right touch of creativity could bring me so much pleasure.  I'm starting with the lounge and dreaming about recovering our two sofas in the huge stash of denim I have been collecting and then making flamboyant cushions from all these bright fabrics I have been saving. Then the crocheted blankets that are gradually finding their way downstairs to be snuggled into in the evenings will look more at home.  In my head it will be a joyful, cosy, welcoming and friendly room, in which the daily changing scene of toys will be enhanced - if you have to have lots of brightly coloured plastic objects strewn across the floor every day - go with it I think!

I am determined to use the lovely coasters my boys bought me for my birthday last year - cups of tea galore - hopefully shared with friends.

And what shall I do with these gorgeous beauties that keep appearing around the place?  I'm wondering about a collage of some sort.....

I am also going to learn to crochet properly this year - I can manage simple projects, but I would really like to be able to make a blanket or two of my own.  One of my favourite blogs is Attic 24.  Sliding over to Lucy's world is almost an automatic response to a dull moment in the day and it brings me so much joy to have a little colourful place I can escape to every now and then and glean some inspiration in the midst of a hectic day.  If anyone reading this is into crafting, especially crochet, I can't recommend her blog enough - and even if you're not, a quick read can't fail to cheer you up.  Anyway, she crochets beautiful blankets and I have my heart set on creating on of her wavy ripple ones.

 

Also on the list is to create an "office" space for Redeem.  Every inch of space in this house is used to it's full capacity and I often wander round pondering about how we could squeeze a little more use out of this corner or that.  It's become apparent that I need somewhere to organise a growing business, away form little hands and as I spend many days at the dining room table already, surrounded by piles of paperwork, orders, accounts and such like, it seems sensible to use the wall space in there to create a place to organise myself!  So, shelves, drawers, pin boards and hanging tidies are in the design process.  meanwhile - I am finding a few cheerful items to make this side of the business a little more appealing.  Can't miss out on the opportunity for some new stationary, eh?!

It feels a little like I am playing hooky today - there are a million things I guess I should be doing while R sleeps, but once in a while (as my lovely husband often tells me) it's important to do something just to feel like me again.  There's always a reason not to do this - as I'm sure many of you will understand.  But perhaps precisely because there is always a reason not to put it at the top of the list is why it should be there.  Every now and again.

When was the last time you cleared the decks for a bit of time for yourself, put that project you've been dreaming of at the top of the list, above the domestics.......and played hooky?

Something for our bedroom in these colours I think....

Feeling Christmas

He's on his way!

Ok, so I guess it's time for a few Christmassy photos on this here blog.  School finished today and the boys are tucked up on the sofa bed watching Polar Express, so I'm beginning to feel a little more festive!
The end of term kind of crept up on me this year, probably because of the business of shows, so I feel a bit like I'm catching up with myself!

It's funny how this time of year can get you all nostalgic and when you get to my ripe old age (!!!) you find yourself yearning for the simple treats you had as a child, or things you remember making or doing when you were tiny.  I remember there was always lots of food to be indulged in in our house - and by that I mainly mean making - of course we all loved eating too, but there was as much fun to be had in the concocting and squeezing into the same hot kitchen as everyone else trying to make their speciality dish!  Our family endeavoured to be creative in its festivities and we often had curry for Christmas - and are doing so this year.  I know that doesn't sound very Christmas like - but we have found that it gives everyone the chance to contribute (it's hard to get curry badly wrong!), you can make dishes beforehand and they actually improve with time, and its really good fun. Plus - it reminds us all of Dad - who was the best curry maker you could ever meet and gives us a chance to use some of the ingredients he left us from his shelf of tricks - jars of every variety of spice, paste and leaf you could imagine.  What a marvellous inheritance!

This year I have set my mind to making these sorts of memories with the children too.  I confess that I am usually whirling about the house at this time of year, hiding presents, ordering things, writing lists and covering myself in a mountain of half-made present projects.  I have often asked for exceeding patience from the children while I do all of this - and yes, it does all still have to be done.  BUT, this year I am going to try to find at least a few moments to share some fun with the littlies.  Last weekend, I found myself alone for the afternoon with all five, while hubby went off for a band practise and so we made a gingerbread house and gingerbread biscuits for the tree.

I have to day, I truly loved sharing baking with them. The heat of the gooey gingerbread mix when you first tumble it out of the bowl, rolling it out and teaching them how to get the most cuts out of each roll, making tiny piping bags for each of them to decorate with.  The teachers each got a bag.....

the tree is decorated.....

and the gingerbread house is due to be covered in sweets this weekend and will be the centrepiece of the children's table on Christmas day.

Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?!  Well, I can assure you, the pay off for an afternoon of baking with the children is a messy house and no uniforms ready for school the next day- and let no blogger tell you otherwise.  But, it felt good and I know they will remember it and anyway - as I've said before......
So, tonight I am doing more baking for grown up presents.  I have a lovely recipe for Florentines, scribbled on a scrap of paper years ago which I usually use - but alas, the piece of paper which usually pops up whenever I need it, is no-where to be found, so I may have to try Nigella, courtesy of this blog over here.

Whilst looking for it though, I did come across these...

A real memory from childhood.  I remember making these sweets for my family when I was a girl, marvelling at the exotic ingredients....cream of tartar....gelatin....and all types of fruit and nuts.  I remember the taste of the marzipan for the first time and shaping it into little delicacies.  I remember thinking that I was making something really special.  Something that would be appreciated by its grown up recipients.  Something that would be enjoyed.  That's a precious thing to give a child - the opportunity to bless an adult.  And, yes, now that I'm a parent, I am fully aware of what goes into the peppermint creams we are occasionally treated to; remembering how I squidged and rolled mine when I was a child!  But, I guess the important and oh, so lovely thing is that they properly feel that they have given you something they are proud of.

It seems like there isn't enough time to fit it all in - I have so many things I want to make for the children...Abney and Teal Dolls for Noah and Reuben and pencil cases for each of them.  Ah, well, I will do what I can and remember that the time is the most precious thing.  It's probably a twee thing to say, but as they are growing older and babies become little men, it's ever more precious.  And if they get some late surprise presents later in January...or February when I have time to do them,  then does it really matter?

In the meantime I'm making the house as cosy and festive as possible - tree up,

 
advent calender and basket of books unfolding the wonder of the Christmas story,

 
sweety bowls glistening in the fairy lights,

lots of snugly blankets on the sofa and Radio Times heavily circled by Eldest Child........aaaaah!

Well, I can hear The Polar Express is pulling into the station, so time to get tired boys to bed!

Enjoy your Christmas preparations!

My favourite Christmas book by Jane Ray

xxxxxxx

Celebrations

What a lovely thing it is to create something special for someone. Something that will make them smile.


This last week I have had the pleasure of creating two such things, one of which will hopefully have caused a a few giggles and added to the festivities of a 70th birthday party.


What a privilege to hand over a cake to someone, knowing that it will help create the memories that family will cherish for years to come. I hope you all enjoyed eating it as much as I did creating it for you. Happy Birthday!


My second opportunity to bless (and surely this is what life is for?) was for my lovely newest nephew on the occasion of his dedication.

Three years ago this coming January, my wonderful Dad went to be with his Creator. Some people travel through this life lightly, and dad did. He didn't leave us much that the rest of the world would count as valuable, but goodness me, he left us so rich.

His three children all have beautiful families now, and we each have one child who was born after he died. I have been realising a lot recently that there is comfort in the knowledge that although they may never have met this wonderful man, they will know him through the homes they live in, the way they are brought up gently, the creativity that oozes from every corner of their living spaces, the way problems are overcome, the things we say and do without knowing and the inheritance of our family history (and I don't mean the superficial "who married who", but the much deeper bonds of how we loved each other and built our memories together).


It was an absolute honour to present my brother's boy with our dedication present to him. I had a special time reading through my dad's letters to me - of which there are many, and picking out the words I wanted to give little J. He is welcome to use them too - they are big enough to share! These are words of comfort, encouragement and love from my Dad, embroidered into a cushion made with a remnant from one of his shirts. I hope that as J grows, he will understand these words more and more, in different ways and that they will comfort him and spur him on.
Maybe they will be a comfort to you too?


I've also been thinking about you - yes, I mean YOU.

We are all creative in some way, whether it be baking, fixing things, gardening, sewing, problem solving, encouraging words - whatever - no-one goes without the gift of creativity in this life. Whatever your gift is - why not think about using it to make some one's day? Sometimes we shy away from giving in this way because we think it's not what people want, or we're not quite good enough at doing it. Let me reassure you - the gift of creative thoughtfulness will always touch someone deeply, and perhaps the way you have gone beyond your comfort zone in giving it, will make it even more special to the recipient.

Go on - give the gift of creativity.