Kitchen Pretties...

 AAaahhh, Spring Pretties in the Kitchen : )

I confess, there is little of excitement happening in my kitchen at present.

I am one of the *many* (i imagine) who have taken the New Year as an opportunity to lose a few extra pounds that seemed to leap on me during December...

 But the *new* all singing - all dancing - custard yellow KitcheAid is being put through it's paces.

^^^Be still my Beating Heart^^^

This was an adored Christmas Gift to me & my Kitchen and she and I have been getting to know each other.

This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

 Smoothies and chopping and batters and some future cocktails (sshhhhh...)

 And then there is the Joy... of the Tassimo...

I know, yes i do know, there is nothing simpler than boiling a kettle in order to make Oneself a hot beverage.

Buuuuut - come on, it is a tidy wee kitchen gadget that makes all sorts of drinks using little pods and pressing buttons and a wee hiss. I bloody love a kitchen gadget. "Hello Joy-ous tassimo" (in red!)

I am mostly reading HUGH at the moment and loving his Every Day book.

But, how pretty do all these pinks look sat on the Kitchen Book shelf?

Oh hurry up diet and make me stick thin.

I want:

Toast & Marmalade

Cinnamon Bagels

Pecan Fudge

Lemon Cheesecake

A whopping great Hot Chocolate finished with Squirty Cream and chocolate shavings....

Some Stuff that I Love....

 I love sewing. I love how relaxing it can be.

I love the colours together and the tactile-ness (is that a word?) of a finished  fabric piece.

 I love the Oldies. Ma and Pa Fish.

Funny, Sweet, Generous. Good People

 I looooove BIG family dinners.

The chaos and the tears. The constant teasing and laughing.

 I love eating too.

 I love love love, balmy Summer evenings:

 drinking champagne outdoors in the Citronella Candle light and *staaayyyyiinngggg* out until the cold really gets too much.

 I love it when the kids just run around together, playing games. CONTENT and free.

 I love cooking and Baking.

I love it when we all 'bring something along' and you never know what's on the menu.

 I love taking photos.

I'm no photographer. I just love that image - captured. *click*

 I love my Mrs.

Always there. Going through it all together. The secret conversations had in random texts and ranted emails. Knowing we'll talk about it alllll again, the next time we see each other.

I love my life.

Even though it is so hard and so exhausting and some days i cry and cry and cry.

I love my life

x

Come on in....!

 A brief tour of a few moments in my home....

Welcome to 'The Office'. We call this 'The Office' with a wry comedic smile because we are sooo funny and ironic in my family.

 Most of the Living Room is, in fact, completely taken over by my life, my business.

I feel immense GUILT that you might not even know a child lives here. I have pushed out all domesticity from our cosy abode

 And me.... sat at the LapTop trying to get my business back on track...

(should I cut my hair again? I hardly recognise myself)

Meanwhile, this pile of Cememt Mix and Ballast is all i have of my *real* office / studio.

Sat in bags on the drive, it feels like a long way off right now.

 And life waits.... stacked up against walls.... waiting for the business to move out of our home and into a place where i can shut the door on it when i need to.

I never thought i would miss looking at my pictures soooo much! Strange, the pictures of our life that we come to rely on seeing, day in / day out. maybe a shake up is what we all need now and again?

 Knick Knacks of life and living seem to be sat,  shelved,  waiting for 'the time' to begin again.

I have been most amazed at how much junk i can quickly amass... and how little i actually need in my life to get on.

 A wooden Memory Box, salvaged from my deceased Great Aunt some 10 years ago.

Yet another thrifted suitcase... ( i swear, they breed in my house)

Upcycled cupboard unit. Was a white GPlan and is now a vintage-y Sage colour with pretty glass-look handles. This was a quick job that made me so much happier.

I spy... oh yes, ANOTHER vintage suitcase, balanced upon boxes of unpacked stuff and stock for the shop....

i was really looking forward to moving in and starting my new life...

Moving OUT was fairly swift in all it's practicalities.

Moving IN seems to be taking forever.

This is for you my dear x a sneak peek.

The Art of Tea, Manchester...

MsFish

and MrsB

Tea & Food

Happiness

Friendship x

Guess Where I've Been... tee,hee...

Hmmm, Twas the weekend before Christmas...

Where is that place that i'd most like to be?
Cupcakes, biscotti and vast pots of tea.... Where the ladies dress for dinner
and the food is divine...

Where the fairylights twinkle,

We toast our friendship with sparkly wine...

Yarn wreaths hanging on doors,

In bright Candy colours...

When it comes to Christmas details,

She outshines all others...

Popcorn on the tree,

Red and White decoration...

An Elven house, with chocolate for three!

Children's morning faces, shine with elation!

Shiny balls,

and hairy balls,

Stunning Photo opportunities for me...

I want to tell the world....

I've been with MrsB x

OK, so prose is not my strength... but the JOY - these photos... this house... this family.... this lady... i love her and she completely knows why.

And i present a few gorgeous details of my brief weekend at MrsB's - as a way of inviting all our creative friends and friendly blog family, to join in our Christmas party.

Grab a cupcake and pull over the teapot... Merry Christmas and "here's to friendship"

CHEERS! *and thankyou MrsB, mwah*

I got me some amazing friends...

I took an exhilerating Country walk with the fat pooch this morning. I looked out of the window from my cosy bed, cup of tea in hand.... i could easily have decided that today wasn't a good walking day (i would have been so wrong) The countryside never looked as pretty as it did this morning.... And on my return from the walk, the Postman was just headed in my back gate to leave a parcel in my 'etsy bin' at the back door.... OOOooohhh, i know you all understand the excitement of that brown envelope / paper parcel....

Cute tissue paper, cute tag, cute stickers... it was an anticipated gift from my friend meplusmolly...

NO, it wasn't from myself - my friend is also called Kirsty (because it is a wildly talented and creative name you know!) I LOVE the tag Kirsty x

Oh FRIEND! that tweedy fabric is so nice. The colours are divine. You know how to get everything just right! Star Anise (sp?) such a touch x

Stretching down to a LLLlooooooonng 'skinny long stocking' in pink french style fabric with little heel and toe details. Vintage buttons... Kirsty, you just have an 'eye' for what you're doing.

Did i mention it is stuffed with Lavender too? Just dreamy x x x

And i love that it is such a contrast to my Uber-bright items. There is a place for sobriety, for sweetness, for subtlety in my creative life! And, being a Pisces, the contrast suits me.
I wish you lots of success and happiness, especially in your new move x and a really big THANKYOU! I love it.


P.s. I have to remind blog readers that my friend MrsB sent me this prior to Christmas... just because i admired hers so much.

See? I am truly blessed that i have such amazing friends. Thankyou x