Work has been busy! For the last few weeks it feels like I've spent far too much time at my desk. A fellow freelancer and I were working on several projects together and as he was off on holiday on the 12th we had a lot of work to get done in a short space of time. But we did it, and with a little time to spare.

It does feel good to be really busy, but I was already busy doing other things outside of work and something had to give. So I was unable to make a number of things I'd planned to make for a Cake & Craft stall I was helping with this week.



We had our first Christmas Cake & Craft stall a few weeks ago, which went really well, and I'd hoped to create some extra handmade Christmas cards, and knitted tree penguins before our second sale this week, but as work was busy I had to make do with what I could squeeze into the evenings. Which wasn't a great deal.



Nonetheless we still had lots to sell, and had another successful day. Over the two sales we raised £1,850 for the radiotherapy department at our local hospital. These have been our most successful sales to date, and I think this is partly to do with having invested in a nifty little machine so we could take card payments. People seem to spend more when they don't have to hand over cold hard cash, which is all the better when fundraising.

I did find time in the week to pop into the village, I needed to go to the Post Office to send off several ebay parcels, which was a nice little boost to my Christmas fund, and I stopped in at my local Sue Ryder shop whilst there.

I'm not meant to be buying anymore books but got more than a little bit tempted!



I justified my purchases by telling myself that a) I'd have enough time to read One Day in December before the month was up (time will tell), b) Domenica De Rosa also writes under the name of Elly Griffiths and I've read a few of her books recently, so I needed to read this too, c) Summer at Skylark Farm was one in a series I'm reading (albeit in completely the wrong order), d) the cover of Old Baggage was too beautiful not to buy, and e) I've seen Normal People all over my Instagram feed with rave reviews, so clearly this is a book I need to read. I really am beyond help when it comes to my book addiction.



I'm now looking forward to the pace of life slowing a little, and hope to have a relaxing weekend, before the Christmas chaos sets in. With lives getting busy at this time of year I was unable to book a table to go out to dinner with friends this month to celebrate a birthday. So, we've opted to wait until the new year, it'll be something to look forward too. I always find January to be a long and uneventful month.

With a little luck we'll get our Christmas tree on Saturday, and I can spend several hours getting the decorations to look just right. I might even watch The Holiday whilst I do so.

I hope you've had a good week, and have a lovely weekend.

The prompt for today's Blog Every day in November is World Kindness Day.

Unsure of where to start or what to say, I took to Google. A number of meanings and explanations where offered up in response. But one small quote stood out to me today.

Be kind to everyone including yourself.

Because I woke up in a shitty mood with myself today and I've been beating myself up since my feet hit the floor.

If a friend of mine described how I'm feeling now as how they were feeling, I'd tell them to give themselves a break. I'd tell them an off day is no reason to be so hard on themselves.

So that's what I told myself. I'm giving myself a break, allowing myself to have a day that doesn't go so well, without feeling bad about it. I'm giving myself permission to just be a bit crap today.

I've taken a moment, hugged the girl cat and put on my favourite jumper, I've made myself a big cup of tea and re-written my to-do list to be more manageable for my I'm-not-firing-on-all-cylinders-today day.

And later I'm going to go to my pilates class and I'm going to enjoy it, even if I don't tick everything off my to-do list before I go.

And when I come home I'm going to sit on the sofa with my husband and watch a film, maybe have a glass of wine. I'm not going to worry about the tasks that didn't get completed, the washing that didn't get done, or the million and one things swirling around my head that didn't get thought about or resolved.

Because I need a break, a moment to breathe. And I'm allowing myself to have one, because it's the kind thing to do. And being kind to yourself is as important as being kind to others.

Why is it that we find it so much harder to be kind to ourselves than we do to others. I see it so often.

So come on, let's give ourselves a break. It's not selfish, it's self care. And let's face it, looking after ourselves puts us in a better position to look after others.



Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama
 


Day 13 of Blogging Every Day In November with Rosalilium 

Taking it easy last weekend really did the trick, I've been feeling much more relaxed. I decided to combine my trip to B&Q on Sunday with a trip to Dunelm. I'd been putting off going to Dunelm for a while as I wanted to have finished decorating the spare room before I went, but to avoid anymore power cut related car park sobbing (see previous post) I combined the two, if the power wasn't back on at least it wouldn't feel like a wasted journey.

I changed my mind about the lampshade I'd picked out for my office and went for something in a warmer tone and (hopefully) less attractive to dust. I also picked up a lovely Ficus plant and pot but failed to find the floor lamp I was hoping to buy. In the end I was actually quite well behaved, I didn't buy too much. I did pick up some star shaped cookie cutters (who doesn't need some of those?) and a valance trim that's been on my shopping list for an age. I love picking up the bits and pieces that will all eventually add up to a well appointed, organised home.

B&Q was open (phew!) so I came home with more paint and some dark varnish for the floor. So, Sunday consisted of a little work and a lot of decorating. I was pleased with the amount I managed to do, although it did mean that my plan to cook from a recipe that night fell by the wayside. It was curry sauce from a jar instead, my human dustbin Mr Joy didn't seem to mind.

My week has been another busy one, not helped by the fact I spent a morning in our flat (that we rent to a friend of mine) waiting for British Gas to turn up, only for Mr Joy to inform me that when he said August, he really meant September! Oh well, at least I was forced to relax a bit more and got some knitting done... and I saw on Twitter that Johari had a sale on and I bagged this Tabaka necklace that I fell in love with back in February (excellent waiting skills, no?).

How has your week been? What plans do you have for the weekend?

I hope I don't sound smug and make you want to hurl things at me when I say this, but I'm pretty happy with what I am doing right now. Freelance graphic design had always been something I'd thought about and had tucked away neatly in the 'maybe one day' pile at the back of my mind. But being faced with redundancy at the beginning of 2013, with local design jobs as rare as hen's teeth, I decided to go for it.

The one thing that held me back in the past - and this is going to sound utterly, utterly ridiculous - was not really knowing how I would deal with all of the admin and accounting stuff. As it turns out there is an abundance of information available. All it took was a Google search, which tells me that I didn't want to make it happen badly enough. Most people say "I should've done it years ago" when you talk to them about being self employed, but for me I think the time was right. I wasn't ready before. It all fell into place, the stars aligned, the ducks waddled into a row and away I went.

I'm currently gathering content for my website and pinning office interiors on Pinterest - planning my move from the dining room table upstairs to our spare room.

During the first of week of January, everyone in the department I worked in received the news that we were all facing redundancy. This was not surprise for any of us.

A week passed before we were each told of the final decision.

The MD wanted to move me to another department. I couldn't do it. I knew it was a role I wouldn't be happy in, a role I wouldn't be able to put my heart and soul into. I knew from past experience (I'd been at the company for almost 10 years) that I would encounter obstacles and any grievance I had would not be addressed, so I decided to decline the position.

This in itself felt awful, there where guys in my department that would have given anything to stay, and there I was turning down a role and choosing to leave. True to form, they were really supportive and totally understood my position.

But then there was a twist, someone was interested in buying the department. This led to confusion, uncertainty and some very awkward situations that continued for two weeks. By the end of the third week I'd had enough and suggested my own solution, which was accepted. And so, finally, at the beginning of week four the matter was resolved.

It's been an exhausting few weeks, I've cried buckets, felt sick most days and haven't slept or eaten properly. But now it's all over I feel happy, relaxed and excited and my plan is to start working as a freelance Graphic Designer. It's something I've often thought about but the time never felt right. Until now.

Wish me luck!

Master liquid eyeliner once and for all
I have tried. Applying the liner to the upper lid is a cinch but it's the flick that is testing my patience! The first time I tried my right eye looked awesome, then I had numerous attempts at trying to match it on the other side. The result was seven blackened cotton buds, a sore eye and a frayed temper... I'm going to watch more YouTube tutorials (I imagine there are hundreds that I haven't watched yet). I have discovered that 'practising' 10 minutes before your taxi arrives it not a good idea!

Finish the jumper I started knitting in March 2010
I've got my knit on a few times this month but I am going to have to unpick it all. I won't bore you with it but I am more determined than ever to get this thing finished!

Fix the 'mend pile'
I have mended a belt loop and sewn on some missing buttons, so it's a start albeit a small one.

Write at least one line in my diary everyday
This is going well. I have made a promise to myself to note down the silly things, the little things that made me smile or raised a laugh during my day, who wants to remember the negative?

Use the spa vouchers OH gave me for our second anniversary
I have used one voucher and have another appointment booked. A hot stone massage is hardly a chore now is it? This is a resolution that I could happily make a habit of.

Negotiate with work to be based at home
I don't think that this will be possible… but I haven't given up on this just yet. I have a few things that need to be put into place before tackling this one.

How are your resolutions going?

Here we are in a brand new year. It's at this time that my thoughts, like many others, turn to holidays and warmer weather, plans for the year begin to take shape and resolutions are made. I've always thought that resolutions should not be saved for January, that if a change is wanted or needed, it should just be made. But that hasn't stopped me compiling a list each and every January for as long as I can remember. Last year I kept it very simple, with just four resolutions but failed spectacularly on all counts! If at first you don't succeed...

This year's resolutions are a bit of a mixture.

Master liquid eyeliner once and for all
I have Pam Am to thank for this, I've been obsessed ever since episode one.

Finish the jumper I started knitting in March 2010
I have so little left to do that I'm determind to finish it before it creeps into its third year on the needles...

Fix the 'mend pile'
I have a number of clothes that are in need of mending or alteration but instead of doing anything about it, I just keep adding to it!

Write at least one line in my diary everyday
Last year I wanted to write more in my diary but actually wrote less than any other year, so I've decided that just one line a day will suffice for 2012, if I want to write more I can, just as long as I write something everyday. A simple sentence is often enough to spark a memory.

Use the spa vouchers OH gave me for our second anniversary
Since May I've had vouchers for eight hot stone massages. Why have I not used any yet? Why indeed. Craziness.

This one is a biggie...
Negotiate with work to be based at home
Full time if possible but I'd settle for a few days a week to redress the work / life balance.

Then of course there are the normal eat healthier, exercise more, buy less, choose well, and be more organised type resolutions.

I'd like to refer back to these resolutions over the course of 2012 to evaluate how they're going, with a little effort it'll be easy to improve on last year!

Have you made any resolutions? Anything exciting or unusual?

Hope you have a very happy, healthy 2012!

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