Sunday, March 17, 2013

Trying to find the positive in the negative!


One of the biggest things I wanted to get & also give from doing this blog was helping myself and others find the good in the bad. To see that life isn't always as bad as we think/feel and to know that yes, we might not have everything we want in life but we still have a lot to be happy about. 
This week has been one of those weeks where my family & I have needed that reminder and at the time it really wasn't easy but we kept trying to see the positive. Sometimes you feel like luck is never on your side and it's then that you need to take a step back and really look at your life. It took a few days but we did it in the end and now it doesn't seem anywhere near as bad as it did at the time. 

Wales - Six Nations Champions 2013 (Image from Walesonline.co.uk)
Then Wales went and won the Six Nations and became the champions for a second year and it made all the negatives of the past week just disappear! We love our rugby and I love our Welsh Rugby Team. They worked so hard and it was all worth it in the end! I was on the edge of my seat for the entire game. They are a team to be proud of!


So, onto our week! We had snow on Tuesday & Saturday! Our weather seems a bit confused! We are now in Spring but still having wintry showers. The poor Daffodils don't seem to be enjoying it, they've all started drooping. I hope Saturday was the last of it!


We went on a little trip on Wednesday to pick up my dad's new (used) car. We got to enjoy these stunning views while we waited. The landscape is one of the many reasons why I love living in Wales so much. We are surrounded by all this beauty! The birds were very friendly and chatty! The weather was more Spring like but it did start to snow a little later and the temperature took a dramatic drop. Our day started off well but took a turn for the worst on our way home. Nothing huge but it definitely was costly & some valuable lessons were learned!


My OH (<---- other half for people like me who didn't know what that abbreviation meant) surprised me with these on Tuesday so we both enjoyed them on Wednesday with our lunch! Aren't they cute? It was a much needed treat after a chaotic day. They were so yummy, especially dipped in a hot cup of tea! If you haven't guessed yet, we've started eating chocolate again. We made it to 50days and that's more than enough!


Although there was a lot of naughty food being eaten this week, there was some healthier things mixed in! I had a huge bowl of strawberries & mango for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed every single piece! We've also been eating a lot of salads lately, especially in our rollls. 
I baked some peanut butter cookies again. They are always my go to cookies because they are so easy to get right! I also made some pancakes for breakfast yesterday. 
Have you ever had lactose free milk? I'm experimenting with it at the moment because I'm trying to figure out what I'm allergic to and what I've found out so far is that it makes the best froth for cappuccinos! Lovely thick froth every time!


We had a bit of an ant issue at the start of the week and a good way of getting rid of them is to use cornmeal. I put some down and of course the cats have to know what it is! Soetie (to the left) had a lovely white chin because she kept licking it! 
We've had the usual relaxing this week, especially with the return of the cold weather! It always amazes me the places they find to sleep and keep warm!


There was a bit of spoiling going on this week! The cats got a new (expensive) toy! It's a scratching barrel and they love it! They have 3 little holes to hide in, a warm spot on top to sleep and a new thing to scratch! It did have some toy mice but Vinnie decided to bite them off. He doesn't like anything that's attached to string! 


While having a dig through boxes (all part of my cleaning, tidying and spring cleaning) I found this interesting little bit of crochet! This is the first thing I ever crocheted & I didn't even have a proper hook! I was using a plastic hook that eventually bent and broke, not surprising considering how tight my tension was! It's nice to be able to look at it and see how I've progressed over the past 4/5 years. My own personal piece of history!


Crochet always puts a smile on my face! I've been asked to help with a pattern for a baby's cardigan. I've never crocheted any clothing before so this is a first for me. It's going to be a waistcoat though so I don't have to worry about the sleeves. I can't say I'm enjoying it yet but maybe when it's done (if I manage to do it) I'll feel better about it. At the moment I'm doing a sample because I don't want to use her expensive yarn just yet!
I purchased some plastic yarn on Thursday from the place where I volunteer. I've got little project in mind that I'm dying to try. Hopefully I'll have some photos to share next week!


And my last little thing to share with you....I created my own little flower pattern (Well, I say my own but I don't think many of the patterns we create can be called our own seeing as there are so many that are just like it!) . It's so easy & the flowers will make great decorations for a little something I'm working on. There is a little sneak peak of it above. I hope it comes out the way I've got it planned out in my head. This is all part of the crochet lessons I'm giving at the moment. A friend told me she wanted to make something and I sat and worked out a little design. Hopefully more on that next week!

Anyway, that's my week! I'm off to do 101 things now! I hope you've had a good week and I wish you all the best for the week ahead! Thanks again for reading my blog!

6 comments:

  1. Great layout and i love the pictures, great news about Wales winning also, you can tell you have put your all into making it what you want it to be
    keep up the good work

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so glad you are able to find happiness in so many places. That's one of my favorite things about you and your blog. Good luck with the waistcoat; I'm about to start a child's clothing item myself, the first clothing I've ever crocheted, and I'm a little bit scared! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's strange how we can just speed through making blankets and things but clothing is so hard! Good luck! I'm sure your's will look better than mine ;)
      Thank you for your kind comment. It's a new thing for me as I've always been a pessimist but there are so many benefits to looking on the bright side!

      Delete
  3. Good job staying positive, I know it can be difficult to do sometimes. And I have no idea how you managed to not eat any chocolate for 50 days. I don't think I could go 2. Interested to see the project you're working on. The flower is cute, and I like the colors.

    Also, your kitties make me smile:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) believe me, it took a fair bit of willpower! Aww so glad they make you smile :) they definitely keep me entertained ;)

      Delete