Cozy Homemaking

Oh, April ...

Oh April, you've been pretty full & busy already !

Two days ago P broke his pinkie (little finger), thankfully not at the hand he writes with. (not a major fracture neither, but still)

Everyone here is either having a cold, is coughing (or both), or having sinus infection. Bah, this windy, warm, unpredictable weather is not helping. They predict a chilly Easter weekend, and really I hope so !

My 95 y-o grandpa has not been feeling really great after having a strong case of flu last month. His legs just won't want to work anymore. He was so well until now, it's a bit "shoking" to see him decline so fast. His mind is completely clear though, no Alzheimer or senility at all !

Two days ago I had the pleasure to meet up with the very lovely Julie of Julie Sinden Handmade's fame. (she makes boiled wool hats) with a delightful & extra smily 4 months old little girl. We had already met briefly in the summer 2011 at Bookhou's.

I have a head full of ideas, and minutes, hours & days just slip through my fingers. I hope I'll eventually find some time during this long Easter weekend ... then spring (school) break will be around the corner (27th).

Until I have something new to share with you, be well, and take care !

ox

S

8 months later

Hubby & I decided to change our food habits & sports habit in August 2013, that-is-to-say 8 months ago. I know several persons in my close friends who have also been changing this, and we all have different ways to achieve our goals. I just wanted to write here where I am as of today, how I feel etc. As a personal record, since this is my online journal, and to let you know that if I have been able to do it, anyone else is.

(rosemary)

In 8 months, I have lost a total of 13,50 kg (30 lbs). It may seem a lot, and it may seem few as well, if you compare to the numbers of months. But my goal was not to lose a certain amount of kilos for a certain moment in time. The slower but steadier I could lose them, the better. I have been having ups & downs, specially after the move, and when I broke my toe. But I went with the flow, didn't lose courage or faith in what I was doing.

What have I been doing exactly ? Eating less in the evening, exercising approximately for 45 mn per day, (4 or) 5 days a week. I don't eat fat free, I keep eating vinaigrette (with olive oil) with my salad, keep baking on a regular basis (and eating what I baked !), keep on eating out (without any guilt). I've not been doing a diet. It simply wouldn't work for me. I'm not calculating calories in what I am eating, but I now keep an eye on the general total amount of my intake. This + this + this + this = just right ... or way too much.

(mint)

What sport do I do ? I hate running, and going to the swimming pool is NOT for me. Going to the gym neither ... but I love music, and I love dancing. So I work out at home, using play lists hubby & I have been building up, using old & new songs/musics. I used to work out in the company of my hubby, but it's been several months that I have enough motivation to do it on my own, when I feel like it. We do power walks (between 10 & 15km) together from time to time, when my mom can stay with the boys for a whole afternoon. It took me some time to realize that everyone is different, specially when it comes to sport & working out. Some people love to run or swim, or to be in the company of strangers or friends. What works best for me (as of today) is to do it on my own, at home. I only use a mat, two weights, music & water. Really cheap ! No gym subscription !

Clothes speaking ... before August 2013, I used to wear size 46 (French) / XL or 16 (US) / 18 (UK), didn't wear dresses & skirts at all. (or twice a year !) As of today, I wear size 44 (French) / L or 14 (US) / 16 (UK), sometimes less, depending on clothes & brands. I now wear a lot of dresses, my mom has been resizing me dresses, skirts & trousers along the way, which has been super helpful. I don't have a goal size, of course, but I'd like to be another size down. I don't want to be thin (I will never be, anyway), I just want my corpulence to be more in synch with my height, and to soften some of my curves. Being 13,5 kgs down, and doing sport helped me feeling much more comfortable & confident with my body (I've come a loooong way), but I'm a constant work-in-progress.

(lemon thyme)

I have more abdominals, my legs are more powerful but thinner, I've lost a bunch of fat on my face, and I feel way more flexible & dynamic than a year ago. I really don't want to brag, because really there is nothing to brag about, I just want to say it is possible, because I really was the laziest & greediest bone around, and I'm personally satisfied of what I have achieved so far. (even though it is not finished yet) I think I started believing in me & in my actual ability to take care of some areas of my life.

The photos I used have nothing to do with what I wrote, but I thought I'd share some very sunny photos in case you're lacking of it. These are the (organic) herbs we've been growing on the windowsills. Rosemary, lemon thyme, chive, basil, Moroccan mint, lemon balm, mint. My tiny little garden. It makes me happy.

ox

S

combination

We're back from our little trip, with lots of awesome memories, and a bunch of photos that I will be sharing in the next few days. I had missed using my camera outisde. Cabin fever was hitting me hard.

In the meantime, I have added a little zipped pouch in the shop, made of a combination of organic cotton twill & a plaid wool fabric on the outside. Quite a lovely little pouch. I just don't know how many tiny, small & bigger zipped pouches I take when travelling. They help me keeping organized & knowing where I put things, from my craft WIP to the phone plug.

You can find it here. 

It's taking me longer than expected to get caught up with all of you, please bear with me. If I owe you a (blog) visit, it'll happen soon.

We're having really unseasonable temps here, 25°C / 77°F is predicted for Monday, for instance. (yesterday it went up to 21°C / 69.8°F). I know lots of you have been having a very cold, long & wet winter, but such high temps are not really a gift, believe me. Pollution alerts are up, and if it froze come April, it would be a disaster for all the agriculture market. (fruits specially) Besides, this warmth is nothing really sane. Germs keep on proliferating. Fragile persons don't manage to heal, like my 95 y-o grandpa, who had been having a bronchitis last month, and who is doing with it again, and it's really had made him weak. Please don't envy the unseasonal warmth too much, really. Cold and snow are much more healthy. (in my opinion)

medieval waffles & summer vacation planning

Last weekend, hubby decided to bake something special. Waffles from a medieval recipe. He looked up on the web & find a recipe. In French, they were called "Oublies".

Here is the recipe for you :

Ingredients :

250g wheat flour
250 g honey
30 g unsalted butter
2 eggs
10 cl warm water

Instructions :

Melt the honey in the warm water. Pour the flour in a big bowl & make a "well" (sorry I don't know the right term in English ... just make a mountain with the flour, then a hole in the middle), break the eggs inside, and start mixing in, adding the honey/water liquid little by little.

Melt half the quantity of butter (15g) and mix in with the rest of the dough. Use the rest of the butter to "oil" the waffle maker, once hot & ready to be used.

Pour small quantities of dough (they are not supposed to be whole, rectangle waffles) & "cook" as usual. They cook rather fast so beware of not burning them. That's all.

They're not too sugary, and are rather dry, but that's what makes them quite rustic. Don't expect them to taste like traditional waffles, they're not ! Besides, you're free to eat them with a little maple syrup or agave syrup, or extra honey !

Spring has sprung over here, and most of the whole country is enjoying a bright sun these days ! Hubby & I have been spending most of the day planning a week of vacation in the heart of summer. We want to explore our country a little more. None of us was able to do this a lot when we were children. Our parents either couldn't afford it, or didn't have vacations at the same time. So in the summer 2014, we're going to explore Burgundy area ! (and not particularly for the wine, we're not that fans !)

In the meantime, it will be fun doing research for things to do, places to go to, and lots more to explore !

This said, this photo makes me lie ! We must have been influenced by our researches, and had a glass of organic, Chardonnay wine ! Ah !

ox

S

bye February, hello March !

February never felt so long & short at the same time, not unhappy to be on school break now ! Hubby & I will be going on a lightening fast getaway in the capital (I'm always looking forward to it) next Tuesday & Wednesday. So short but long enough for breaking the routine.

Today the sun is shining, it does so much good to the soul. I have bought a little pot with daffodil bulbs, they will last & will bring a little cheerfulness for longer.

The first two pouches of the PURE line are now available in the shop, if you are interested. They will be a stapple in the shop, therefore not a limited edition.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead ! Take good care.

ox

S

because you're worth it

I think this week I've been processing a lot of thoughts inside my head. While some people will never be able to step back & reflect about themselves or their lives, I'm kind of the opposite. (I say that with humility, it's just a fact) Sometimes I kind of overthink, which is not better neither. But. This week, I had food for thought, and I'm still processing.

I've realized the other day that we all (women) are too exigeant with ourselves. Whether we work or not (for money), at home or outside of home, we want to do it all, and take care of everything & anything. Control as much as possible what we can actually control (or think we can !). We have so many hats : homemaker / daughter / mom / wife / friend / sister / aunt / boss / employee / cook / baker / gardener / and so on and so on ... And of course we try to be the best at each one of these hats. And it ain't easy, is it ? There are bumps on the road, unexpected events, and we always must compensate, always must work harder to make life easier for the ones we love & care about.

And let's face it, it's exhausting. Physically and mentally. Do we take time to take care of ourselves ? There might be some of you/us who actually do it the way it should be done (and I applause you, ladies, you really rock), but I'm practically sure that the rest of us simply forget about ourselves, in the middle of our many duties & jobs to be done, in the middle of all the people we must take care of.

So, ladies, friends, silent readers ... this is a real work on ourselves that we must do. We must be more gentle, more flexible, less exigeant with ourselves, and we must really take care of ourselves seriously (because, sincerely, noone else will do it for us)

I have personally decided to make time for myself. My body has been telling me to. Maybe my foot injuries are signs. And I've been having a stiff neck/shoulder for over a week, and have finally decided to take time & use The Miracle Ball method (thank you again Kathleen for introducing it to me) to let the tension go. I've done it in the past for my lower back & for my neck/shoulder, and it worked. But I need to carve a moment to do it in the calm, and to relax.

It sometimes doesn't require more than 15mn (more is even better of course !!!) for relaxing, for having a moment for yourself, for lighting a cozy candle & reading some pages of your current book, for drinking a cup of your favorite beverage, for doing some yoga or stretching with a relaxing music, for taking a shower & doing a body scrub (or a face mask, you get the idea) ... why oh why do we SO VERY OFTEN forget about ourselves ?

This school break is coming up at the right moment. I will take advantage of it for starting new habits. Good ones. These last days I've been very motivated to work out at home (solo since hubby's still recovering from bronchitis), which has been a positive effect on my mind (thank you, endorphins !). I've been seeing a new friend too (I met her during the school trip), who has miraculously introduced me to tea (because I'm a firm coffee drinker), and I have purchased yesterday organic Earl Grey & Rooibos teas (this one & this one). I now need to find the best cast iron tea pot (I like the Japanese ones, any advice ?), and I'll be all set. I've read so many good things about green tea that I need now to make the jump.

So there, I committ to take better care of myself. Because I deserve it. And I hope you will take better care of yourself, because you totally deserve it too !

Oh, before I go, I wanted to share with you one of my recent discoveries ! I've found in one of the organic food stores I go, a line of cosmetics that are organic, gluten free (yes), 100% vegan, with no parabens, sodium lauryl, phtalates, artificial fragrances & colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol or petroleum based ingredients, AND  they are cruelty free & biodegradable (no animal testing, and no phosphates). And cherry on top, their manufacturing support wind power. The line's name is Desert Essence, and you can see their website here. Maybe your local organic food stores carry it !

ox

S

last days of february

Only three days left (including today) in this short month of February. I don't know about you, but I surely didn't see it pass by !

antique dress found in the trash in June 2012 (read about it here)
and calendar by Bookhou

I'm more than ready for this school break to begin ! I need, for a handful of days, to have no rhythm, nowhere to go, and enjoy the day as it comes. We've been talking about time managment, at home, and hopefully we'll figure out how to save time here and there, to everyone's benefit.

Sun has been coming & going, a lot, these days. Playing hide and seek. So Pitou tries to follow it when he can, eheh. This morning, he apparently found the right spot ! Ah, cats !

Yesterday was filled with unplanned events, changes of plan, and attempts at squeezing everything that needed to be done, at the right moment. By the end of the day, I curled up on an armchair in my bedroom, set up a mini side table with one of the two remaining boxes from the move (dang !!!), added a piece of fabric over it, light a candle (it was getting darker & darker outside), and put traditional Japanese music on. I grabbed a book, and relaxed as much as I could. It didn't last long, because there were other things to be done (who needs to dinner, hey ?!!!) but I enjoyed it thoroughly ... and will be forcing myself to do this more often. Sometimes, 15mn of relaxation, of time for yourself, can do wonders. Here is the kind of music I'm speaking of :

Do you have rituals for carving time for yourself ? Or for relaxing or meditating ? I'd love to know. We sure never take care of ourselves well enough.

In the meantime, I'll share with you some of the pink carnations I've been scattering all over the house. Why keeping them all in one single bouquet, I thought yesterday evening. So I made small/tiny vases that I added in the bathrooms & on the living-room coffee table.

I wish you all a lovely middle of the week. Take care of yourself !

ox

S

a little catch up

If you follow me on my blog only (I mean, not on any other social media), there might be little things you don't know. Like ... I hurt one toe a month ago (Gary is actually the cause), didn't go to see a doctor back then. I was preparing my son (and I) school trip, then did go to the said school trip (hiking, speleology etc) and last week decided to go see the doctor finally, and have x-rays done & I discovered it had been broken. Oops. And that it's too late for doing anything now. Double oops. I didn't know I had to strap them. Well ... now I know. Ahem.

Hubby's been really unwell all weekend & went to the doctor's himself, this morning. He stayed home with bronchitis today but will go back to work all week. He's under treatment now so it shall get better with time now.

This past weekend we were a little greedy & baked two things we had never tried. One was whoppie pies (ours turned out jumbo sized ! oops !) and the other was waffles, trying for the first time our brand new (made in France) waffle maker. We'll definitely make waffles again, and if you have favorite waffles recipes to share with me, please share in the comments. We learnt pretty fast (reading reviews of the waffle maker) that we needed to brush the grids with oil so that they don't stick. And ours didn't stick a second. Success at the first time, woohoo !

When writing an email this evening, I realized that I have been managing time very badly since September, since the boys went back to school, but in two different places. Hubby's been working in a different area this year, and has been working much much more, even on weekends, which both saddens me for him, and doesn't really make him happy. He used to get involved in more things at home, but now doesn't have the time anymore. I realize now that his schedule got a toll on mine. And I don't blame him a second, that's just the way it is. Even though my mom helps. (she doesn't live as close anymore, neither)

I really really need to do something about this, very very soon. But each day feels so long and short at the same time. We're a week away from winter school break. It feels like the previous break was ages ago. (8 full weeks, actually)

While this winter has been the coldest in some places you probably live, over here it's been the opposite. It's been one of the warmest winters in 60 years. I know some of you wouldn't say no to a little sun & a little warmth, but we didn't get that much sun (really ... over here, it's : mild=overcast or rainy, cold=sunny). And between 15°C and 20°C in February ... sincerely, I'm so done with it. At this rate, how hot will it be in May, then July ? Besides, it's been like an orgy party for all the germs & such, which sounds logical with that yucky mildness. In my mind, winter equals cold. Cold winds, cold rain, cold anything. Not warm. It just doesn't sound & feel right.

A certain someone doesn't care about this weather business ... ahah !

Therefore, in order to lift my own spririts, as well as my family's, and why not yours as well, I bought this morning three different bouquets (for a grant total of 10 euros) and came home with this :

Aren't they lovely and uplifitng ? There are pink carnations, purple anemones, and daffodils. And I love them in that blue enamel jug. They felt like a breath of fresh air, today !

Wishing you all a colorful & healthy start of the week ! What have you been up to recently ? (and that I might have missed)

ox

S

Please note :
... one day left for using code POUCHESFEB14 to get 15% off all pouches in the shop ! Offer ends tomorrow (25th) at midnight. Enjoy !

signs of spring

Not very surprising, spring usually comes really early over here ... but temps right now are unseasonably warm for February. (up to 15°C today)

In that perspective, it's hard for us to believe it's winter (though it's still something like 4°C in the morning) and to dress appropriately. Oh well. (not the biggest problem, right)

ox

S

still here

I'm still here, though not really present on the blog. Next Monday I'm leaving on a 5 days trip with U's class & another class from his school, in local mountains, and we'll possibly get snow. We'll get cold, this for sure. I've volunteered right away since this kind of trip doesn't happen much anymore. (P never had one, and he's 2 years older) So I've spent a lot of time these last weeks preparing his stuffs & my own stuff, 'cause I'm the kind of people who prefers to have thought about everything in the details, rather than having bad surprises when once there.

It also means that days will be organized another way, for P & for hubby's work, without me. Thank goodness my mom is around. I know they'll do great, but it means extra-organization for them too.

I'll take a lil blog break from this coming weekend till the next. But anyway my last post was almost a week old. (days are not long enough !)

I try to keep on working on PURE line, but also think about other products. How could I possibly resist to this beautiful organic cotton bias tape (when I ordered more organic cotton twill last week) ?! I could not !

Simple, classic & intemporal at the same time. Love it.

ox

S

double rainbow maker

A handful of days ago, my friend E posted a photo on IG. I was inspired to get the same little thing for our place. Since we get a bunch of sun here (well, except until a couple of days ago), it was rather smart for me to get one. So I ordered a solar powered double rainbow maker, and installed it yesterday !

 

I even made a short video with the phone ...

Isn't it fun ?

Wishing you a colorful & sunny day today !

ox

S

 

PS : maybe you missed the little shop update that happened yesterday ...

first time rolls

Yesterday hubby & I conquered our unjustified fear of using yeast (!!) and tried our hands at cinnamon rolls. We started in the morning, by preparing the dough & let it rise. And made the rest of the recipe in the afternoon.

All I can say is that it was a big hit ! Everyone loved them ! They were not too sweet, and the glaze was so good. Next time (because there will be next times !), we'll bake them on Sunday too, but will eat them the following days, so that the glaze will be a little less runny. We didn't squeeze them too much on the baking tray, which resulted by lovely, almost perfectly round rolls. I forgot to mention that they are 100% organic.

For a first try, it was a success ! Of course, an hour of working out followed (well, not right away !) ... but it was well worth the efforts !

Wishing you a sweet & tasty start of the week ! :)

ox

S

rainy sunday and I'm happy

Rain has been generously showering everything, I know Nature really needs it here, specially in the winter (in preparation of summer's draughts). I love seeing the drops at the tips of the trees facing our building, it's always such a beautiful show rain & trees give us.

According to the weather forecast, sun shall finally shine on us here next week, which I'm really looking forward to ! I can see better for sewing & embroidering when natural light is great. But despite the lack of sunshine today, I'm off to sew a bit. I feel fantastic (even though I went to bed at 3am after the birthday party we attended yesterday), both my mom & mother in law are at home with us, P feels better. All is well in my world. And this song feels like the cherry on top. I can't stop listening to it today ! And the video makes me feel like dancing like noone's watching !

I hope you're having an equally happy Sunday !

ox

S

from the phone, part three

Well hello to the lovely people & friends still visiting my little ol' blog ! I know my posts recently are not the most interesting ones, but that reflects my mood these days.

December and the move got the best of me. My mental & physical energy, and it's taking time to get back to normal. (my two foot injuries -sprain & tendinitis- are not history yet) I'm trying not to be too exigeant with myself but after almost two months NOT creating a thing for the shop, I don't want to let everything go, or it will be the end of it. So I'm trying to stay positive though, I know that everything in life comes in cycle, and after being at the bottom, it can only go upwards !

 brewing coffee / freshly popped popcorn

simple drawing made by me

"there is no easy success neither everending fail" (or something like that)
-Marcel Proust-

 making vanilla sugar 

 morning shadows of my skeleton leaves display 

clementines clementines clementines !!!

I hope you are all doing good. And that your spirits are high !

xo

S

from the phone, part deux

More photos taken with the phone ...

simple, natural decorations have replaced holiday onesPitou feeling veeeeery tired ahahcat drawing -that I adore !!-  by U (9 1/2)shipping orders from last week (in recycled tissue paper)

Speaking of which ... French postal fees have been raised (bad news), of approximately 0.50 U$, but that will be painless for CM customers (good news), since I won't raise my shipping fees. Sorry about the lack of (shop) updates, it's taking me a little time to get back on my feet, after the move mess & the holidays.

Hoping you're all doing fine, my friends, and faithful readers.

xo

S

from the phone, part one

It's been such a weird start of the year, weather wise, and I think it's a global thing. It's so dark right now (this is not a complain, just a fact, I know SO many are getting aweful weather conditions right now) that it still was as dark as night at almost 9am this morning.

Going back to school wasn't too hard. Going back to school week rhythm not too much neither, simply draining, ah ! Not an opportunity to use the good old camera, but I try to keep on taking pics with the phone, here & there. If you don't follow me on Instagram already, well you can find me at http://instagram.com/cozymemories

Here are snapshots from the last days ...

rugelachs baked for NY's eve

basking in the sun

 at the botanical garden

("ideas are not meant to be thought, but to be lived")

More snapshots tomorrow ... Be well !

xo

S

new year

2 0 1 4

Wishing you all good health, love & peace of mind.

Wishing you all to explore your own possibilities, to try new things & get out of your comfort zone from time to time.

Wishing you all to love you more, to respect you more & to take care of yourself (even) more.

And one a side note, this is a reminder for myself as well.

ox

S

 

PS : there was gift for you in the previous post, click here if you missed it !

2013 the year of change (and a gift for you)

2013 turned out to be the year of change.

In 2013 I changed my skin care routine to a natural skin care layering routine (blogged here), and have been doing it at least once a day since last July.

In 2013 I have been taking food habits & workout habits much more seriously, and don't consider working out as a chore anymore. And so far, I've almost lost 12 kgs (26 lbs). I'm not done with myself yet, though. I'm absolutely not obsessed, you can ask my husband, and maybe that's why I keep on losing a little, on a regular basis. But I need to point out that it's a team effort, and that I couldn't do it all without his help & support.

In 2013 I have changed homes. Well, we changed apartments, even my mom (who was living on the same floor as us). It was totally unplanned, and happened after a chain of unexpected events, and well, after three weeks of hard work, it all happened. We've been in our new apartment for two weeks now, and feel like we've always been here. Our daily habits have changed, and my mom's too, since she doesn't live next door (literally) anymore. The two years she's lived next door, were transitional years, and I wonder how we had done it all if things hadn't happened this way. (if you're new to this blog, my mom came to live next door after my father's sudden passing away - I am their only child)

In 2013 my eldest (11 & a half) entered middle school (junior high school / collège), and this probably turned the page of a new chapter of his life, and of mine as well. He decided to grow his hair (I had been cutting his hair for maybe five years or more) & today he got his first hair cut at the hairdresser's in a veeeeery long time. Hubby & I are so proud of our two sons, they both got the best reports in their respective class for this first trimester.

At the end of the day, tomorrow, 2013 will be over, and we'll be good to go for a new year, full of possibilities & adventures. I'm not making any resolutions, even though I've decided to stick to my ideas & principles, to keep an open mind & to stress less.

I am grateful for your presence, and for your constant support, here on the blog, or in the shop. I would like to thank you all by offering until Sunday 05th, 25% off shopwide, simply by using code 2014 at checkout. May next year be even fuller & more creative than the last one !

(orders will be shipped from Monday 06th, thanks for your understanding)

Thank you for being here in 2013, I hope you'll have just as much pleasure visiting in 2014 ! Happy & safe celebrations to you all. I'm simply wishing you all good health & peace of mind, really sincerely.

Love.

ox

S

some green in winter

I've hardly ever had plants, whereever we lived, but this time, I've decided that these sunny rooms that our kitchen & living room (including my creative space) would be ideal to have some plants, to add a little green on the white walls (that I love !). I'm not a green thumb (by any mean !) so I hope these will survive with us !

 

Have you noticed a new look here ? I really needed to refresh this space of mine, it'd been some months since I last did that & it suddenly felt boring to me. I also refreshed the shop, even though I have not added anything new yet. I need a little while before getting used to where all my stuff is (before starting making), then it'll come naturally. But I think a New Year Sale will be in order, so stay tuned !

Wishing you a lovely Sunday & rest of your weekend !

xo

S

come and gone

Christmas 2013 has come and gone. Unlike the last four years, December hasn't been rhythmed by our traditional, creative daily Advent activities, but this year, by the crazy & chaotic chores of moving. As much as it was exciting, it hasn't been fun. It's been non stop work since the end of November. Now of course we can savour the fruits of our labor, since everything's been unpacked (only 6 boxes are still to open, on the ... 120 we had ... including 35 of books). But the other apartment is still to be cleaned thoroughly, which will require extra motivation during the holiday season.

The hardest part has been to find a new place for everything we had. Space has been organized a different way, so all in all, the boys have more room for their belongings, and I, on the other hand, have less room for my own stuff. But I'm getting there. This apartment, except the few last boxes & stuff, is way tidier, uncluttered & more organized than any other places we've lived in. If it wasn't for these last boxes, you couldn't say at all that we've been here for ten days only, that's kind of crazy, really. It feels & looks like we've been here forever !

On this positive thoughts, I'm signing off for the weekend, and wish you a great & relaxing one !

ox

S

Well of course you know it, "our new home" is an apartment that we rent. A house is a house, but a home can be an apartment, right ? It didn't take us long to make ourselves at home, even Pitou is now totally used to it ! Much more space to explore, for him !

I've managed to make a minimal holiday decorating, we finally put the tree up (yesterday !! so late), and I bought holly today. We'll take it easy this year, concerning Christmas day meal, and it'll be for the best.

 

1. cardboard houses we had made last year during our advent calendar activities.

2. tree is up ! Red cushions were made with napkins screenprinted by Bookhou, and white/red cushions were made with napkins from Zara Home (in 2008 I think).

3. Holly I bought this morning. String holder bought at V&A museum in 2010.

4. Winged Heart hand painted glass window roundel, bought in Salisbury cathedral in 2010.

I'll probably be a little quiet here until the new year, but I'll be around, from time to time. Here are some glimpses for you. Happy Holidays to you all, and try to put your feet up as soon as you'll be able to !

xo

S

I could see a huge Celtis australis from the living room of the previous apartment ... and surprise, I can see another (or several, even) Celtis australis from the living room of the apartment now as well ! I love these because they grow tall, still have leaves until late in winter, with lots of dark purple berry-like drupes which feed an incredible amount of birds, even coming from the seaside. (so that we can see European herring gulls even in the heart of town)

December 15th

Amazing how the weather's turned to rainy & muggy in the matter of days. Thank goodness it avoided moving day ! Lots of leaves have fallen now, and while they looked like golden in the December morning sun, they now look almost coppery on a dark December afternoon.

December 19th

Can't get enough of the raindrops looking like jewels at the tip of every branch & at every drupe. Such a lovely sight to see on a rainy day !

Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead ! Thank you for visiting !

ox

S

Well hello hi everybody ! I wish I could have come here earlier, but it simply wasn't possible ! Why ? Because an unplanned chain of events happen on Friday 13th (which didn't turn out to be a lucky day), the day we should have moved, therefore movers took our things & moved them on Monday & Tuesday morning. (too long to explain, really) And, I didn't have internet at home until yesterday evening when hubby managed to install the new box.

BUT. We've moved. My mom's moved. We're all ALMOST totally unpacked already, but you know how things go, we'll move things around again before we're perfectly settled.

The last two weeks have been pretty full. Because of this mess, we had to let Gary at the cats' hotel for longer, and we had to stay at the hotel (we had booked two nights) two extra nights. Eat out a lot, and I had to open clothes boxes again so that we could actually have clean clothes. (because I had planned the exact number of clothes for the numbers of day we should have needed them) In a word, it's a been a really big, huge mess ! But what hasn't made me laugh even less, is that on Sunday 8th, after a long week of going up & down the stairs in BOTH buildings (taking lots of things there - the ones that couldn't be boxed etc-), my feet & legs were sore, and I sprained my left foot. Ouch. And I supposedly hurt it because I had a tendinitis on the right foot. Try walking with this, or walk up stairs. I should have rested, but it was the week before the move, and it went even crazier than in my wildest nightmares. (organized people nightmare, I must add) Thing is, 11 days later, both feet still hurt, because, really, do you think I have found a moment for putting my feet up ?! Seriously ?! I am not kidding anyone, I haven't stopped since the moment we've know we were going to move.

I will keep more details about our new place for a new post, I've been missing blogging, but things were far more important than blogging anyway. Everyone's home, including Pitou, so all is well.

I've missed you all. I hope December's been treating you well. What have you been up to ? What did I miss ?

xo

S

So here I am, for the last time before next Sunday or even more. (no internet at home next week) Things at the "old" apartment get crazier by the hour, so much mess, so much dust, so much to carry to the "new" apartment (even though we're hiring movers, there are things I prefer to move myself). Things you can't possibly pack until the day before the move (and there are so many of these, that's crazy !) But. I know it will be done in time, & I know everything should be ok. (or that's me trying to persuade myself)

I closed the shop yesterday, and I also wanted to let you know that my sweet friend Vibeke has been hosting a month of advent giveaways, at her blog "A butterfly in my Hair". It started a week ago, you can participate to any one them, or all of them ! You will be able to win a Cozy Memories wares on Tuesday 10th, if you think you are interested !

 

Next blog post will be written from the new place, I can't wait ! I wish you a lovely week ahead (and not a crazy one like mine !). Until then, be happy, be healthy, be merry, be safe. I'll miss you.

ox

S

PS : don't you love these natural christmas tree baubles ? Spotted them last August on a walk in nature.

I didn't mean to disappear, but things are the way they are & days are clearly not long enough anymore ! Online, I've been very quiet, as a matter of fact. And offline, things are getting crazier by the minute. Two moves, before the holidays, was maybe not the best idea of our lives, but since it will be for the best, we're working hard happily, knowing we'll be rewarded soon.

I will be without internet (well only with the phone, thank goodness for 3G & 4G) from Sunday 8th till Sunday 15th, so you'll only catch me on Instagram, not here. I'll close the shop next week, obviously. It will reopen on the 16th. I apologize for any convinience. (though Christmas shopping is over now -at least online)

Pitou (Gary) will go to the cats' hotel from next Thursday till Saturday (just a couple of days) so that everything can be done with peace of mind. I'll miss him, but he'll be safer there, rather than anywhere else during those crazy days.

I cannot believe that there are only 7 sleeps left in this current apartment. We will have been there for almost 4 years and a half, and that's actually the longest we've ever stayed in an apartment, how crazy is that ? We're moving in the same street, but it's bigger (boys are getting their own bedrooms !), we'll have a parking place too. (we didn't until now, and we're using -when we need it- what used to be my parents' car) Everything in this apartment was renovated less than 5 years ago, walls are white (they were not, here), the kitchen is equiped (except fridge & dishwasher), bathrooms are top notch & modern, toilets too. Built in closets in the bedrooms (neat !!!) Morning sun shines in the kitchen, the living room (and what will be my creative space) & one bedroom. We won't get the harsh afternoon sun, in the summer, so I bet it will be cooler in the summer, without any action from us. Windowsills are wide enough for me to have small pots, which will be a first for me ! I'm planning to get plants for the kitchen (succulents maybe), and other plants that don't mind moisture, for the bathrooms.

I am deeply sure that we'll be so very much better than here, and I hope we'll stay there for a loooooong time now. I will share glimpses as soon as we'll be settled in. The last time we've moved, I manage to unpack practically all of our boxes in 4 days. I'll see how it will go this time. (a new record ?! ahah)

As for my mom, where, that's the same story. Her place is really nice, she'll have a seperate bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, a small but still spacious terrace, and even a garage. She also gets morning sun, so it will do good to her soul & body.

Life is going to be a little different for her, a little different for us, though many things will remain the same, some will evolve. She'll become again a grandma, because these last two years, she had become like a co-parent, being so close to us, all the time. She'll have more independency & intimacy, us too as a consequence.

My last blog entry posted from this apartment. I wonder how many I've typed here. Quite a bunch actually. Very excited to start blogging again from the new place. I've decided to seperate my creative space (sewing machine & all) from the computer space, so it's going to be a bit different for me too.

A couple of weeks ago, I read "The Power of Less : The fine art of limiting yourself to the essential ... in business & in life", by Leo Babauta, and it was really interesting. Leo Babauta is the writer of the famous blog Zen Habits. I will try to change some of my habits, and I hope it will help in many ways. I will keep you posted about it, most probably.

Well, I must go now. Don't miss me too much, I'll be back soon ... after chaos is over, that is. I'll miss you, but will try to keep an eye on you on my phone.

Be well, and be happy.

ox

S

YESTERDAY

Remembering these ... as few as there were !

 

and this (made yesterday).

TODAY

Getting the keys of the apartment. Making some measurements. Showing the apartment to my mom (first), and to the boys (after school), since they hadn't seen it yet ! Woohoo !

Have a great day !

ox

S

What is exciting ? Well, my mom's new apartment has become official too ! We are so relieved & so happy ! Of course she won't be as close to us as she used to be, but she won't be too far, just a tramway stop from us ! She'll be getting the keys on Friday ! Now to take care of HER moving as well ! OMG !

What is exciting ? We're getting the keys of OUR apartment TOMORROW !!! Wooohooo !!

What is exciting ? Well, this video that I just created (because yeah, I had time to kill to learn how to use iMovie, right ?!) will explain it all !

 

Do you like it ? Not that bad for a very first attempt at video montage, right ?! Of course it is only a faint memory now, but boy did I enjoy eating snowflakes ! I'm such a little girl at heart !

ox

S

I'm hardly finding room around my keyboard to type comfortably, but here I am. Surrounded by what will be constant mess until moving day. Messy & busy are both understatements, my goodness.

The cardboard boxes were delivered on Saturday when we were away away (my mom was here), and yesterday *only*, I managed to pack 32 boxes of books. I was pretty happy with myself.

I know it's only temporary, but making more & more mess every day, being able to move around less & less easily, is really driving me crazy. As I am in the process of decluttering, downsizing & letting things go, in order to have less, see less & feel more peaceful ... it really is painful (to my eyes & mind) to see that chaos.

Thankfully I did pack a good bunch yesterday because today I've hardly touched the ground & have come + gone home several times. Not a single thing was packed, oy. This said, hubby, my mom & I just visited an apartment for my mom, and I'm seriously thinking it might be the one, for her, as well. (please cross fingers & toes)

I don't want this blog to turn too quiet while I'm busy packing & organizing & purging & cleaning (in addition to the mandatory daily life) so I'll try to at least post videos I've been watching & liking.

In the meantime, if you haven't started holiday shopping (if you planned to), you might be really interested in reading this post on Poppytalk. I'll be having a SALE (free shipping) from Nov. 29th to Dec. 02nd, so you shall have a look here or here.

Wishing you all a very lovely week ! Thank you for stopping by !

ox

S

Not much time for blogging so I'll make a bullet point Friday post ... please bear with me !

• the actual cardboard boxes from the movers shall be delivered tomorrow, thank goodness !
• anyway, I've been picking small ones from local stores, and have been using them for sorting things out & putting them away, for NOT taking them with us to the new place. So, in a way, I needed this time for making this before actual packing !
• we're still hunting for an apartment for my mom. I REALLY hope we'll find the right one soon !
• today is weight in day, and I've lost 11 kgs (24.25 lbs), have less hips & butt (yay) and feel better already. The road will be still as long as it's been until now, but now I'm confident I can do it !! Working out is not a chore anymore, so that's a great point too !
• here's a video/song I want to share with you. Music is kind of a vital motivation these days for my sanity. This one seems to be old, but it was recorded in 2009.

Happy weekend, everyone !!

ox

S

Well, hubby & I went to sign the lease yesterday, so I think it's safe to say that it's official now ! OK, and this is where I'm freaking out !!! We'll meet two different movers on Monday, and hopefully soon (but I think not before the middle or the end of next week), we'll have boxes to fill up. Until now, I have found small boxes at my local natural food shop (thank goodness), but school week & all the things to do have taken a toll & I haven't done much. A bit here & a bit there but nothing phenomenal.

I need to keep on seriously purging. Sometimes it means going through things from the past (painful or not), and it's really hard to know what to keep & what to let go. But. There are more serious problems in the world, right ?

 

Barely over a week ago we had highs of 27°C, and these days we have lows of 3°C, with wind, and although I love it cold, the difference is kind of ... raw !! It's like we switched from summer to winter & I was not prepared !

Today hubby & I went to visit an apartment for my mom, but it wasn't great. They'll be visiting another one on Monday & I really really hope it'll be *the one*. (fingers crossed)

I know Christmas will be "weird" this year. IF we move before Christmas, I wonder how festive our new place will get to be ! I wonder if we'll get the tree up. Maybe I shall consider things like Artemis is doing (see the end of her post), and forget about Christmas & focus on the change of season & on Winter Solstice instead. A much more reasonnable vision of things, actually. Lights, candles, a warm & cozy new nest, that's the best that could happen to us.

Wishing you all a cozy & toasty weekend !

ox

S