Life at the moment

April has arrived and the past few weeks have flown by, with a glorious Easter bank holiday weekend and a week of warm days I've at last managed to finally compile this post.

There's something about this time of the year and those first few days of warmth and sunshine that take me back to spring and summer days of the past. Odd feelings of having to do exam revision vs sitting in the sunshine, and giddy feelings of lighter evenings and feeling more enthused to do things after work, have been bubbling in me this week.

I've had a busy few weeks in my day job as projects and workload have ramped up to an all time high. Taking time to write has had a little bit of a back seat but I'm now off work for a week of annual leave so I'm back! I've been busy filling the past month or so with lots of things, life at the moment has been about...

Enjoying...spring flowers in our home, buying a few bunches of daffodils to brighten up our home.

Painting...our guest room over a weekend. From a bright yellow colour that was here when we moved in, to a fresh white, at last we feel that this room feels like our own. There are still pictures to hang, an office space to sort, a quilt and roman blind to make, but we now have a blank canvas to create a great spare room. The rest of the house is painted in colours that we are happy with but bit by bit we will add more of a personal touch to the decorating.

Seeing...lots of friends for catch ups, from drinks, dinner and Skype dates with my friends dotted around the world. Time to catch up, share news, get advice and thoughts, it has made the past month really great. 

Making...almond butter, a yummy breakfast smoothie and chia seed cookies from the Deliciously Ella cookbook. I've also had my first experience of making a homemade pizza one weekend. I've got some perfecting to do with the depth of the base, but it was yummy! Getting back into the kitchen and trying to cook and make new things gives me a real buzz. 

Reading...I'm still loving spending time reading books and I have just finished this lovely book Play Big by Tara Mohr. It's been a great companion for my journey to work and when I've taken some time out to read in the evenings. I've been thinking about my inner critic and my inner mentor and how it effects what I do try and achieve. 

I've started reading a new book this week called Better than Before - Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchin Rubin. I read Gretchin's other book The Happiness Project last year so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into her new book.

Sewing...taking some time to get back on the sewing machine making quilt blocks as part of my Farmer's Wife quilt project. 

Researching...greenhouses, sheds, raised beds and all things gardening. Yesterday I headed to our local garden centre to start costing up the plants for the garden and getting an idea of what I'd like to grow. I had planned to pick up a few seeds and ended up buying a few things for me. It's my birthday in a few days so I wanted a treat or two!

Digging...up the huge roots of the plants I've removed from our garden a few weeks ago. I got into the swing of things and started digging the ground and marking up where we want to have a few raised beds in the garden.

Making...Easter tree decorations. I love these corkscrew hazel branches and a few days before Easter I decided that this year I would start a tradition of creating an Easter tree. I decorate the branches at Christmas so I thought it may be nice to have them decorated at Easter too. I bought a small pack of chicks, two wooden rabbits and five polystyrene eggs from a craft shop that I covered in bright fabric scraps. I made a few small pom poms to add more colour to the tree. It made me smile and I finished it in an afternoon.

Relaxing...with my blue herringbone blanket, cups of tea and my crochet hook, creating row upon row of treble crochet creating my colourful ripple blanket. I'm really loving this hobby as an escape and feeling more confident with my skills.

Joining...a crochet class and learning to crochet a bunting triangle. At last I think I'm getting it!

Reviewing...my plans for the next few months and trying to focus on My One Thing.

Arranging...our book collection on the alcove shelving and cupboard that Mr C built in our dining room. I'm in love the new chunky white shelving that Mr C made, I think he's pretty pleased with his handiwork too!

Listening to...the new Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds album Chasing Yesterday, and inspiring podcasts. This week I felt really energised by Elise Get's Crafty podcast where Elise interviewed Amy Tan about making your own creative path, so check it out. Plus I'm really pleased to see the return of The Lively Show podcast where Jess talked to Hal Elrod about his inspiring story and about his Miracle Mornings. Truly inspiring and food for thought! It's made me consider changing my morning routine.

Pre-ordering...a birthday treat for me, a new daily planner. The planner starts from July 2015 through to July 2016. It's called Get To Workbook created by one of my favourite bloggers Elise Blaha Cripe. If you read Elise's blog each day please do go an support her with her exciting launch. I can't wait to get this in my hands!

Simplifying...from time to time I feel that I'm getting closer to my word. When decisions need to be made I've been looking to my word, but it's sometimes been tricky to simplify when I've been busy. I'm doing a few small things to move closer to the word filling my weeks and being part of me.