Currently… May 2017

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Currently, Spring Wood, Taskmaster

Yikes! It has been over a month since I last blogged anything and I have no idea how that happened. Here is what is going on right now:

Currently I am…

Getting the most out of the Bank Holidays. Last Bank Holiday Monday we got up and out of the house for half nine and headed straight to Spring Wood in Whalley for a walk around the bluebell filled woods. It was brilliant! Orla loved exploring the paths and it was a challenge to keep her still enough to take a couple of photos. We left just as the car park was getting busy and headed off for brunch!

Reading blogs again. I had gotten out of the habit of flicking through my blog reader but I’ve recently taken it up again. I use BlogLovin on my phone and laptop to group all the blogs I follow together. I am currently really enjoying Cupcakes and Cashmere for sunny LA fashion and Marcus Design for beautiful interior designs.

Gardening. The garden is the main reason why we bought our house. It is massive, practically a small field. The look we are going for is part English Cottage garden and part wildflower meadow. We are letting a large segment of the garden grow wild and try to encourage natural wild flowers and bees as much as possible, we have an impressive sweep of forget-me-nots and bluebells at the moment. Then we have a patch of tidy lawn and a full flower bed near the kitchen door. There is always more jobs to do then we will ever get to but it’s so cool to see what changes have taken hold now that we are entering into our third year of living here.

Marveling at Orla’s independent spirit.  We took her to Blackpool’s Sea Life Centre last weekend and try as we might we could not get her to pay any attention to the many wonderful sea creatures there. Instead, all she wanted to do was dance in the pretty seahorse light they were beaming on the floor. I guess this is how we know we are entering into the toddler world! Little Miss Strong Will!

Watching Taskmaster. Every Tuesday night, 9pm on Dave is the most random comedy game show that is an absolute joy. Five comedians complete silly games and tasks to be awarded points by the taskmaster; Greg Davies. Any description doesn’t do it any justice but it is good natured and it really makes me laugh each week and I find it is perfect for helping me unwind from the day and go to bed happy.

Currently… February 2017

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Currently, February 2017

February has been a full month, we have had a window added to our bedroom, installed fitted wardrobes and had a mini-break in Wales with some lovely friends. Here is what going on in my life at the moment.

Currently I am…

Walking in the park more now that the sun is staying out for longer. This photo does not do justice to a beautiful reflected sunset I saw the other week. I am so grateful for having a park so close to our house, it does me such good to just get outside for a few minutes and get some fresh air.

Blinking in the brightness of this colourful array of yarn. I discovered this gorgeous arts and craft shop in a tiny Wales village called Montgomery. The shop was small and crooked, all the floors slanted and the door frames were wonky, and there was a ginormous but friendly Irish Wolfhound sitting by the tills. It was a bit like being in Wonderland!

Playing with Orla. Now that she is a fully fledged one year old, Orla’s repertoire of games has vastly expanded. She now likes playing with stickers, bubbles and pouring her drink on to the carpet whenever I am not looking.

Going all out  for movie night. Last week we decided to do movie night properly. We rented classic Sci-Fi film Dune. We pulled the sofa up to the telly, dimmed the lights and lit candles. Rob made popcorn and salted caramel from scratch and I poured the wine. It was bliss! Think we might do the same this weekend.

Jumping on the Bullet Journal bandwagon. I have been using this journal to track my goals and to-do lists since January. The biggest change it has helped me to make is to keep on top of the house work. I have a list of 8 daily household chores and 6 weekly or fortnightly chores. Even though I rarely tick everything off, I find I am getting a lot more done and the housework is feeling more manageable. I now take this journal with me everywhere I go, it my top new accessory!

Currently…. January 2017

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Currently, January 2017

How am I filling my days in 2017? Well, currently I am….

Working again. My year of maternity leave has come to an end and I have returned to work part time. So far, I am really happy to be back and it has made for a nice change. As amazing as my daughter is, it is nice to be able to get up and leave a room without having to either carry a baby with me or rush and get something before she figures out I’ve gone.

Sleeping through!  Another big change is that I am now sleeping through the nights! I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to wiggle down into bed and know that I don’t have to get up till morning. Unfortunately, Orla still wakes up a couple of times but for the last two weeks our strategy has been that Rob is dealing with her instead of me. This has weaned her off the night feeds and has given me a break from the sleep deprivation. Hurrah!

 

Meeting Rodney, my friend’s gorgeous new puppy! He is a cross between a Pug and a Collie and he is extremely adorable. We have planned to do a baby/puppy meet up every week and once he has had all of his injections I think we will be doing lots of excursions to the park together!

Celebrating Orla’s birthday. My little girl is now one years old. We marked the occasion with a little party for her. She wore a pink dress and a party crown, got some exciting new toys, tried a bit of birthday cake and ate her body weight in grapes because she kept conning different family members to pass her more food! She is savy one!

Appreciating the winter evenings. Normally in January I get fed up of the dark and cold and am just willing Spring to hurry up and get here but this year I am actually still enjoying winter. Candles in the evening, soup with chunky wedges of bread and misty mornings, there is still a lot to appreciate!

 

 

Currently I am unwinding by…..

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Bible Journaling, Currently, November 2016, Skyrim

November is blurring by at a rapid rate. In the last couple of weeks Orla has mastered the art of rolling over, crawling and walking! There is no stopping her now! One of the things I have been really sticking with this month is intentionally unwinding in the evening after Orla goes to bed. The time I have to myself is really precious and I want to make sure I make the most of it, so I have made a little list of evening activities to rotate throughout the week to help me unwind from the day and get me into a sleepy frame of mind.

So, currently I am unwinding in the evening by….

 

Reading. I have a lovely pile of reading material to get through which I am taking at a leisurely rate. I am still on Surprised By Hope which I have been reading in small chunks for the last couple of months. I’ve almost finished it now and then I think I am going to hit the fiction and devour some easier reads.

Painting my nails. Like a lot of women I know I have a big stash of nail polish that hardly gets used. I normally paint my nails for a wedding and leave them alone until the colour chips off or even grows out! But for the last couple of months I have been painting my nails once or twice a week in the evening. It is actually quite relaxing. I don’t worry about getting them perfect or doing anything fancy, just a fresh coat of polish makes me feel a bit more put together the next day and it is another way of helping me to sit still in the evening.

Colouring in. Adult colouring books are everywhere and I was an early adopter. Right now I am using The Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford. I am no great artist and just use either felt tips or pencil crayons, but I really enjoy just working away at a picture whilst listening to an audio book. Right now I am listening to The Stand by Stephen King with Rob. I colour in whilst he plays No Man Sky and we listen to the story together. It’s a nice way of being together and doing individual things all at the same time.

Listening to music. Rob has moved his record player downstairs into the dining room so that we now get to listen to music when we eat in the evening. I have also found that playing music keeps Orla entertained, so when I cook tea I hook up my phone to the bluetooth speaker and dance around the kitchen. Orla sits in her play centre and seems to enjoy the experience. I use Amazon Music on my phone and have been downloading a new track every week for 99p. The last one I downloaded was White Flag by Joseph, which is a band of three sisters with some amazingly close vocals.

Bible Journaling Getting creative is another great way for me to unwind, and I have found Bible Journaling to be very rewarding. Rob got me a new Bible for this purpose for my Birthday and I have loved turning some of my reflective time with God into a visual piece for me to remember and keep hold of.

Reading magazines This is another treat I allow myself. One magazine a month. I have strict rules about what I read when it comes to celebrity gossip and body shaming so I tend to stick to either the craft or home magazines. But I do find Glamour magazine is a good one for having interesting articles and having a strong feminist slant.

Slaying dragons in Skyrim. I absolutely love the Elder Scroll games and I am currently re-playing Skyrim. This time I am trying to play as a mage, and doing less hacking and slashing and more conjuring and spell casting. I love this game so much, if I have had a tough day there is nothing like a couple of hours of questing to drive all worries from my mind!

These are the activities that are keeping my chilled out and making the most of my baby free time. I find that doing something a bit different each evening also gives me something to look forward to even if it is just painting my nails or sitting down with a hot chocolate (or wine!) and flicking through a magazine!

Currently… September 2016

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Clacton on Sea, Currently, Rieker, September 2016

Rob, Orla and I are just wrapping up our ‘big holiday’ of the year. Rob had two weeks off from work and, for a change, managed to pick the hottest and sunniest weeks of the year!

We did a UK based holiday this year. We set off on Saturday and spent the weekend with friends in Cambridge, before going on to a rented house on the seafront at Clacton-on-Sea. We stayed there a week and were joined on Thursday by Rob’s Mum and one of his Aunts. Then all five of us went to stay at another one of Rob’s Aunts house for the weekend as Rob’s Uncle was having a big 60th Birthday Party. He’d hired a local pub and pulled in many musician friends to play live music all day. It was excellent!

We then had another, slightly calmer, week back at home together. It’s been great having Rob around full time and it’s going to be a bit of a shock to the system when he goes back to work on Monday!

Anyway, here is a flavour of my September, currently I am….

Enforcing chill out time. Each month looking after Orla is getting a little bit easier but I still sometimes feel frustrated with how little I get done in the day. The temptation is to then plow through jobs when she does go to sleep at 8pm, but if I do that I get totally frazzled and exhausted. I have come to realise that once it gets to 8pm, I need to relax and do things that I enjoy and get me ready to sleep. So I am limiting my evening activities to watching TV, painting my nails, reading a book or colouring in my Enchanted Forest colouring book!

Watching Friends! Suddenly the Comedy Central channels have appeared on our TV and they show Friends episodes almost continously. It’s been a few years since I actually watched any episodes so it has been great to dive back in, especially as all Orla wants to do is walk around the coffee table for hours on end. It is a life saver having something entertaining going on for me!

Itching to wear my new boots. On the way down to Cambridge we stopped at a Boundary Mill Store in Grantham. I got separated from Rob and Orla for a few minutes and on my way to find them I spotted these beautiful navy Rieker ankle boots! By the time I caught up to my family there was a big shopping bag swinging at my elbow! I adore these boots, they fit perfectly, they look gorgeous and they scream out ‘autumn is here!’. Except it’s been boiling and sunny ever since I got them! I need the weather to cool down before I can show them off.

Reading ‘Surprised by Hope’. A Christian book leant to me by a friend who does Bible translations. It is about how the central hope of the Christian faith isn’t to go to heaven when we die but that one day the creator God will renew His entire creation. Believers will have resurrected bodies (like Jesus) and the world will be renewed. It is really fascinating! But I have found if I read it too close to bed time that it gets my brain thinking too much and then I can’t sleep!

Admiring the pastel rainbows of beach huts. Is there anything that sums up modest British charm than a row of pristine beach huts! I loved walking along the beach at Clacton and taking in the views. Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside….

Eating too much ice cream for my own good. Enough said.

 

Continuing with my Bible Journalling. This is a sneak peak on the piece I am working on right now. The monthly challenge I have from my Bible Journalling group is to make a ‘shaker‘ based on a favourite  worship song. I have an idea of how it will look in the end but I am a bit cautious to start the next step as it involves glitter!

Currently… August 2016

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August 2016, Currently

Yay, the sun has reappeared, and it is actually so hot that I’ve come inside for a little shade! Here is what is happening in my life at the moment.

Currently I am….

Potting food at every opportunity. I am well underway with weaning Orla. She is turning out to be a great eater and so far will take anything we give her. I am having to get more organised to keep up with her. I’ve found the easiest way so far is to fill ice cube trays with portions of things like sweet potato and carrot and then pop a couple of cubes into a tupperwear tub in the morning. Works for frozen fruit as well! All those years of saving takeaway sauce pots is about to pay off!

Sporting a new look! Last week I took the plunge and had about 2 inches of hair chopped off and had it coloured an auburn shade. I’ve wanted to go red for years and it feels like now is the right time to do it. No photos yet, as not had time to ask Rob to get a good one, and I am atrocious at taking selfies! But I do love it, and will do a separate post on it later.

Progressing with the decorating at last. After a six month delay we finally decided to just hire someone to come and finish off the spare room. Our decorator did a great job and we uncovered this fireplace behind some built in wardrobes and decided to leave it exposed. We have moved into this room now so that we can start the decorating in our own bedroom, so there is still furniture in all the wrong places and it’s a bit of a muddle. But, once our room is done that will be all the bedrooms decorated and the house will feel a bit more in order.

Eating hog roast sandwiches with stuffing and apple sauce at the Clitheroe Food Festival last week. I have been meaning to go for years and this year we actually made it! It was worth the wait. The High Street and Market Square were packed with tents each selling delicious treats. We could easily have spent a fortune, but we held back and only bought…hog roast sandwiches, coffee, Irish Cream Ice Cream, Chocolate Orange Brownies and a big pork pie! Next year I am going to get fudge, Sangria and macaroons. I have it all planned out in my head!

Transforming our front door. It was brown, it is now covered in grey primer and filler, and it is going to be bright red! I am so excited. Rob and I have always wanted a pillar box red front door. Just think of how good it will look at Christmas with a Holly Wreath on it!

Currently….July 2016

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Blackpool, Currently, July 2016

A friend told me on Thursday that the much awaited summer heatwave had arrived….only for it to chuck it down relentlessly all day on Friday. There is no doubt about it, it’s an English July!

So, what is happening in my life this soggy summer month? Well, currently I am…

Sightseeing. Rob and I had booked tickets for the Clitheroe Music Festival on the 8th July. It was going to be our first day out without Orla but three weeks earlier, the whole thing was cancelled by the organisers. I was partly disappointed, and partly relieved, it’s still tough to imagine leaving Orla behind for the day! I am such a wimp!

As Rob had the day booked off work we decided to go to Blackpool together as a family. Orla loved the Sea Life Centre and seeing the sea for the first time! And I loved reading all the funny lines in this sprawling carpet of comedy! We even got a couple of hours of sunshine to fully enjoy it.

Cooking! For the last couple of months Rob has done all the cooking as Orla would inevitably want feeding whenever it was time to cook, or get too clingy in the evening for me to get anything done. But she has cheered up a lot in the last couple of weeks which means when Rob gets home from work, he gets to play with Orla and I get to cook us up some tea. It’s a nice change for both of us, as I am ready to have some ‘me time’ and Rob is desperate to have cuddles with the baby.

Bible Journaling. This has been a new crafty/reflective activity to me and I’ve joined a group on Facebook that sets monthly challenges. This month’s challenge was to reflect on the above verse and respond in prayer and with some form of arty response. I made this as a prayer that I would remember to view parenting as an important ‘work for the Lord’, especially on days when I am tired and Orla won’t nap and I just want to slump out in front of the telly eating chocolate digestives!

Catching up with my friends from work. I went in for lunch with my office girls the other week and it was so lovely to catch up on all of their news and the office gossip. We went to a fantastic cafe in town and stuffed ourselves with delicious chocolate cake. It was really hard to say goodbye to them afterwards. I don’t miss work but I do miss the people!

Creating light displays! Orla is enraptured whenever there is moving lights, which is why the Sea Life centre was a big hit with her; all those dim lights and moving fish was an equivalent of a Hollywood Blockbuster! So, I have tried to introduce some mood lighting at home to help with her bedtime routine (which is something we haven’t got down yet at all!) She has a mobile with lights and moving stars, and Fionn gave me this cool light that projects constellations around the room. We’ve found that it is a really nice way to bring our day to a close before her last feed of the evening.

Drinking one shot of whisky on a Friday evening after Orla has gone to bed as my weekend reward! Cheers, folk!

Currently, May 2016

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Currently, Earby, Harrogate, Simple Church

Well we are drawing to a close of a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend in our household. We’ve shopped, eaten out lots, soaked in the sun and enjoyed the company of our friends and family. It’s the perfect end to what has been a rather splendid month. Here is what life is like at the moment..

Currently I am…

Wearing summer clothes again! It feels so nice to wear something that isn’t jeans and a jumper! I’ve fished out my summer skirts from a box in the attic and am lhappy to wear bright colours again. Still, my outfits are completely overshadowed by Orla’s wardrobe. Matching dress and hat! Fabulous!

Spying my Dad taking Orla for a walk in the garden. One of the joys of being a Mum is seeing how your daughter is loved by your wider family. Orla’s grandparents are always eager to have their little moments with her. She is a very loved baby!

Reading Simple Church by Thom S. Painer & Eric Geiger. My Pastor leant me this book and it is really challenging me. The premise of the book is that the churches that have a simple Discipleship program are the ones that grow. It is sparking a lot of ideas in my head of how this applies to my church, but that would involve change and change is always a bit scary!

Walking through the park every chance I get! I am very lucky to have a park on my doorstep complete with lots of love features; cherry blossom trees, a huge duck pond, a bandstand and a beautiful river. It’s great for me on afternoons when Orla isn’t up for napping (most afternoons!) to get the pram loaded up and go for a walk. Even if she doesn’t fall asleep, it’s good to get the fresh air and it gives my arms a break from carrying her!

Eating ice cream! We went to Harrogate the other weekend and ended up having a fabulous extended lunch at Gianni’s Brio Restaurant and Pizzeria. We started with garlic dough balls, then a mushroom ravioli and then I had the above ice cream to finish. That’s right I had all of that ice cream to myself! The flavors were Oreo, Chocolate and mint chocolate and they were all delicious!

Drinking milkshakes at my new favourite cafe; The Humble Pie in Earby. This is an adorable cafe/flower shop. It’s quite close to Rob’s work and we have met there a few times for lunch. They have lots of lovely things on the menu but my favourite treat are their oreo flavoured milkshakes! Yum!

Currently…April 2016

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April, Currently

Its 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon. Little Miss is asleep in my right arm as I type with my left hand. We’ve had a walk in the park, lunch with my mum and a good session with the health visitor. The sun is out and birds are flitting around the window.

Here is what is going on in my life this month. Currently I am…

Watching Dinnerladies by Victoria Wood. I have been rewatching this very Northern and witty comedy. So much of this sitcom is spot on in its wry observations and I love how understated the drama is. It never fails to make me smile.

Reading ‘The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris’. Another feel good and nostalgic read from Jenny Colgan. I’m only a couple of chapters in and I’m reading slowly but I have enjoyed it so far. Not helping my chocolate cravings though! Speaking of which…

Drinking hot chocolate with all the trimmings at every opportunity. Yummy-ness every time we go out. I’ve stopped drinking pop whilst breastfeeding, just because I don’t want to risk the caffine when every hour of sleep is precious. So my indulgent drink at the moment is hot chocolate.

Eating meals prepared by the Irish Lad. Seeing as Orla always wants feeding whenever I try to cook, Rob decided he would do all the evening meals. He’s a good cook on the quiet and we have been having more varied meals since he took over.  And as we are not eating out once a week at the local pub we are probably eating much healthier over all. I am feeling spoiled!

Appreciating Spring blossom. Took this photo on Sunday when we had a nice walk along the canal. And we spotted two swans building a nest! It was so beautiful. I love that the days are getting brighter now and we can get out and about more. I am looking forward to many more sunny walks this year!

Generally things are good. I feel like we are past the intense newborn weeks and are in to a new stage. It’s lovely to see my little girl interact more and more with the world around her, and we are all getting more sleep now. Yeah, sleep makes a big difference!

Currently…Breastfeeding Edition!

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breastfeeding, chocolate, Currently, Jenny Colgan, newborn, Rosie Hopkin's Sweet Shop of Dreams

Hello,

Here is an update of what is going on in my life at the moment. Currently I am…

Breastfeeding a newborn. And it feels like breastfeeding is the only thing I am doing right now. Órla is three weeks old and very hungry! I had somehow never stopped to consider just how demanding breastfeeding is. How thirsty and hungry it makes you, and how whilst I am feeding her I don’t have the hands free to do anything else. I am told it gets easier after the first eight weeks but for now I am just trying to surrender my plans and go with the flow. It’s all precious time I get to spend with my little one.

Reading ‘Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop of Dreams’ by Jenny Colgan. I’ve been slowly working my way through this book since Órla was born. I can only read in stolen snatches here and there because I have really not mastered one handed breast feeding yet! But this happy story of Rosie who moves from London to a small countryside town to take on her great aunt’s ailing sweet shop is wonderful escapism. It’s quaint, romantic and funny. It is the perfect book for where I am right now.

Eating Copious amounts of chocolate. Apparently breastfeeding requires lots of calories and I do find myself craving chocolate or sugar if some form after long feeds…and it’s not like I wasn’t partial to the stuff before hand! Luckily I have been inundated with gifts of food and snacks from wise friends and fellow mums. I have a very healthy chocolate stash to keep me going! (Also for the sake of balance I am also eating lots of stews, casseroles and pies that have been cooked for us by friends as well!)

Thanking God for my Mum. Since Rob went back to work my lovely Mum has been round every day (at my request) to help me out and I don’t know what I would do without her. I know some people would find too much help overbearing but Mum seems to know exactly what I and Órla need. She comes round and sets off doing the washing up, putting the clothes away and keeping me supplied with fluids and food. She just frees me up to focus sorely on looking after Órla and getting to grips with things. She also makes sure I nap during the day. I think without her I would be utterly exhausted, instead of just mildly sleep deprived!