Happy List

Last winter I found getting up in the mornings really hard work. It was dark, I was tired, the bed was warm and the bedroom was not. Crawling out of bed in such conditions did not a happy Kim make.

So in order to distract myself from the cold and to try and maintain some level of positivity on those miserable winter mornings I created a little game for myself. As I blindly fumbled about in the dark, I would start listing ten things that I was grateful for. Needless to say back then, my big, fluffy dressing gown and woolly bed socks would usually appear in the list somewhere!

I play this game all the time now as it really does cheer me up and refocuses my thoughts on what is really important in my life. So I thought, why not make it a regular feature on my blog and share the things that make me happy with you guys too?

So here it is, ten things that I'm grateful for and that make me oh so happy right now.

1) Dan - I love just how much he makes me laugh, even when he doesn't mean to. For example, he mumbled something about a "stupid arsed bee" the other day because it kept flying into the window, then turned around and walked into the washing line. Ladies and gentlemen at the top of my list, my stupid arsed husband.

2) Sunflowers - As I mentioned in a previous post and can be guessed from simply looking at my blog picture, I like sunflowers. A lot. But then, who doesn't right?

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3) Coffee. Another obvious one maybe given the title of this blog, but I really do love the stuff. Odd because when I first tasted it I thought it was the foulest thing I'd ever had. For the life of me I couldn't understand why anyone would drink it. Those days have long gone!

4) Friendship bracelets - I'm having something of a friendship braclet revival. I used to make these all the time at school so it's making me feel seriously nostalgic and happy to make them again.

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5) Friday afternoons - Specifically that moment when you leave work and realise that you have the whole weekend stretching out in front of you. It's a feeling of relief and freedom and excitement all smooshed up in to one happy moment.

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6) My vegetable patch - Regualr blog readers will know that I like to garden and my little veggie patch is keeping me well entertained this spring. It wasn't until I added it to this list though that I realised I don't have a photograph of it yet! So in the meantime, this one will have to do..I love the gardener's shoes!

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7) Sunny weather - I know, I know. How British of me to bring up the weather, but as I am British, I am also only too aware how unpredictable it can be. We're having lovely weather at the moment, but this could soon disappear and we could have rain for the rest of the summer. It's happened before so I'm intending to enjoy it and be grateful for every ray while it's still here!

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8) Rainy weather - Seeing as we've established that I'm a stereotypical Brit, I may as well include the rain in here. In little spurts, this is the good stuff. It waters my garden for me, fills up my water but and makes my plants look all green and happy looking.

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9) Pimms - Sod it, let's stick with the British theme  shall we? I love, love, LOVE this stuff, but I can only drink it at this time of year. It's a summer drink and drinking it in the winter would be like having a glass of mulled wine right about now. And that would just be crazy.

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10) Visits from old friends - And moving on from the Brit theme to a Dutch one instead, number ten on my happy list is the thought that my dear friend Lona will be back in Blighty tomorrow for a well overdue visit. She is a photographer and an awesome one at that. You can check out her work here.

So those are the things that are making me happy this Tuesday, what about you? What things are making you smile today?

Roses are red, so is this brooch

So have you checked out my Etsy shop yet?

I've put my old stock back up for sale for a limited time only (the next 3 weeks). After that they will be gone forever so this is your last chance if you've seen anything you like.

I'm also offering free shipping to all my lovely blog readers! All you have to do is quote "FREEPOST01" when you go to checkout.

My shop is called The Small Things and I will be writing more about it in the future as I work towards building in to what I hope will one day be, a viable business.
Enjoy!

Fabric love

Isn't this fabric AMAZING?? I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and even more so when it arrived in the post! Dan's not so convinced though. When I asked him what he thought he looked unconvinced and simply said "it's bright". 

I'm going to make a pair of curtains out of it for my little sewing corner. When I have time to start writing my Project Wednesday posts again I'll do an update. Until then, it will just have to sit next to the sewing machine and be patient.

Motivational poster

So the holiday is finally drawing to a close and it's back to work I go. I can't put into words just how amazing this holiday has been. In no great way, it's simply been very restful and fun. I feel like it's recharged my batteries and I feel more prepared for the busy month ahead.

I've also spent a lot of time thinking about time and how quickly it passes. About how easy it is to let a day slip through your fingers. You'd be forgiven here if you think I'm referring to those days where you procrastinate and don't check anything off your to do list. However I'm not.

I'm actually talking about those days when you have a to do list the size of your arm and you use up all your energy completing it. By which time, not only are you completely frazzled, but you don't have much of the day left to enjoy anyway. I do this a lot. 

This holiday has opened my eyes to that and made me realise that while it's good to have lists and get things done, it's about quality, not quantity. Make a list by all means, I am still a big fan of lists as they keep you focused, but keep them short. No more than five things, less if they're big jobs. Make your time count and whatever you do, make sure you've got time afterwards to enjoy your day. As trite as it sounds, you'll never get it back again.

So that's the story behind my little motivational poster I guess. I'm going to print it off and pin it on my board at work. What's even more fitting is that it was taken at work during my lunch break. So even while I was stuck there, working on someone else's to do list, there was still the opportunity for some quality me time.

Go me.