Life's Changed: Reasons to be Cheerful

Hey friends, I hope you're well? It's been a long time since we caught up as life is changing for me and I just don't find the time or the enthusiasm to sit down and blog in the way I used to. I supposed it is to be expected. I wrote my first blog post in May 2008 and it is now April 2022, fourteen years later. That's a long time to keep a hobby going.

In truth, my hobby turned into a job. One that was convenient and allowed me to be available for my family and to do lots of volunteering, whilst earning some money. But I never loved it. Being self-employed and blogging has never given me the satisfaction of previous jobs, where I felt needed and fully immersed. 

I'm so glad to say that I'm back in a job like that, well more correctly, God has revealed to me it is a ministry rather than a job, as it is His work I am doing and His will I'm following. Back in January, I was appointed as the Project Manager for the Bexhill and Battle foodbanks and as the first paid member of staff for Churches Together in Bexhill I knew it would hold some challenges but since I started on March 1st I have fallen in love with my role, with my team, with my clients, with all the possibilities for a better future service, for serving Jesus in a way that is really needed.

I'm away at Spring Harvest at the moment, the Christian conference that I have gone to most every since (excepting Covid) since around 2005. This has been the best time for me, as God has revealed so much about the future and how I should manage and take forward the foodbanks. I now have a guiding bible verse and ideas for the future. Where I saw blockers before, I now see opportunities in His perfect timing. 

Reasons to be Cheerful - New Years Eve Edition

Hey friends. It's New Year's Eve and about 8.30pm as I start to craft this post, and this will be the extent of my celebration tonight. Watching TV, crafting blog posts and reflecting back on my year whilst enjoying an espresso martini, that I hope will be OK with the ibuprofen I took earlier as I have a poorly knee. 

I really don't mind that I'm not out partying as it has been the strangest of Christmas times. Covid ripped through the community where I live and by Boxing Day we had around 40 people either positive or isolating. Thank goodness we were closed for business and have around 150 bedrooms, so everyone could safely isolate. It did mean that not many of us were left to hold the fort and to ensure that around 60 people were fed and taken care of.  As always, I'm so proud of each member of my family, who stepped up and did what they could to ensure that even one person's day was a bit brighter than it could have been. 

We're now coming out the other side and the General Directors are back on-site to manage the situation and people are reaching the end of their isolation and testing negative so they can come back to regular life. I have been so astounded and grateful that no one in our family has tested positive, neither by regular LFTs nor by PCR test. I think I can safely say God's hand of protection has been upon us. 

We haven't completely escaped ill health though as my hubby has a nasty cold and I've done something to my knee, which means I have pain, tenderness and numbness in my knee and leg. I think God is telling me to rest up, which is a shame as I really fancied heading to Birling Gap tomorrow, just like I did last New Years Day. Oh well, there is always another day!

Before Covid struck it had been a very nice December and I wanted to share a few photos for future memories and give thanks to the Lord for some great times. Despite my parents/ brother not being able to come for Christmas and our Christmas and New Year plans getting cancelled I have had one of the best December ever and that is a testament to the work Christ has been doing in me this last year. 

A Late Thanksgiving Post #R2BC

I've wanted to write a blog post for a few days but it's been a weird week and I can't seem to get myself motivated. I keep procrastinating and doing other tasks but today is Thanksgiving in the USA and all week I've been bombarded with emails, devotionals and social media posts about the importance of gratitude and changing your attitude to being grateful for what you have.

I've loved seeing all these things as gratitude is a massive part of my life as a Christian. Most mornings I write a gratitude journal and give thanks for the things that are going well in my life. It's so important to adopt a positive approach to life and to acknowledge all the blessings you have, even when you're in your darkest moments. Sometimes it can be really tricky and you might be digging deep for even one reason to be thankful, but think on it hard enough and that reason will come. 

It was for this reason that back in 2011 I started the Reasons to be Cheerful linky and I still know many people who use this practice in their everyday life. Looking for the silver linings and the little moments of grace that you spot in the everyday. When you start to look for the good stuff, you'll find you spot it much more easily. It's like any habit, keep practising and it will become second nature. Of course, at times you'll get distracted and forget but thankfully I find that God prompts me to look once again for the good moments when I am drowning in my problems. 

October was an awfully hard month for me, I had parenting challenges that I never thought I'd have to face but I kept trying to dig deep and look for the blessings. They were there, some of them hiding behind black clouds and it took me days to write even one thing in my journal at times, but I'm coming through it, I look at November and there are days with a list of 20 reasons that I am feeling grateful. 

Welcome Autumn - A great Reason to be Cheerful

I love Autumn as a season, not as much as Spring but it is certainly so much better than Winter. I think it is so important to stop and enjoy nature and the world around us. This morning I dropped one of my daughters off at her friends and came back home. As I drove back to my house I passed this gorgeous bush that is bright orange and each day I see it and it reminds me of flames. Today it also reminded me to go for a walk even though it had been raining heavily all morning and then started raining on me again as I wandered around. No matter, when you live in 220 acres of glorious East Sussex countryside, you should definitely enjoy it most days! It is a big reason to be cheerful!

I'm normally very planned in my activities but I thought it was important to seize the moment and grab some photos and a bit of exercise whilst I could. I also sat down for a bit and prayed and pondered as the sun shone upon me. 

Reasons to be Cheerful - Heading into Autumn

Hey friends, how is life? 

Things have been quite interesting here, there have been some lovely days or moments, like yesterday when I headed up to London with my hubby to see the Prince of Egypt at the theatre, or today when I did community meals at church and then had lunch with a friend. But there have also been some really hard stuff going on in the last month or so.

With that in mind it is so important that I write this post and look for all the good things in life, the things I am grateful for, as otherwise I could head into a spiral of despair and that's no good. I don't think I have the headspace for anything too wordy, so I'll go back to basics and do a list of all the things that I am so grateful for right now and in the last month or so -

1. That I can work from home and it gives me the space to support my kids
2. I got petrol when I needed it without too much queueing
3. I had a great time at the Blog On conference last weekend
4. I got to spend some time with my parents and had some good food whilst I was there
5. It was JJ's birthday and my baby is now 18, We celebrated  very simply and I made him a coffee cake

A July full of Reasons to be Cheerful

I'm feeling very relaxed and happy as we went away on holiday last week and now I have the whole summer stretching ahead of me. If only the sun would come out again!

Worthing Holiday

So the holiday is the first super big reason to be cheerful. We stayed in Goring, next to Worthing and it was glorious, the weather was great, our holiday house was right by the beach and it was so good to spend time with my parents and brother. We did all the simple UK beach holiday stuff, time on the beach, swimming in the sea, playing mini-golf, penny arcades, walking (and skating) the prom and the pier, out for meals, as well as shopping, trampolining and car booting!

Early Summer Reasons to be Cheerful

Hey friends, it feels like a while since I last wrote a reasons to be cheerful post and shared all the little joyful things that have been going on in my life. In fact, I just checked and it was 24th May, so that's about seven weeks ago and it's no reflection is what has been going on. Life has been good, but it has also been busy and I haven't had the time to focus on writing a post just because I love to share and because being grateful really fills my heart and lifts my mood. 

I can't possibly write about all the good things that have happened in the last seven weeks, so here are just a few -

1.  Having a great time at church - we went this morning and it was fabulous, with a really good sermon, superb lively worship and some guest missionaries who are back from Chad currently. We only joined this church about 9 months before Covid hit, so we still feel quite new, but getting to know people and getting involved in serving as part of church life is great.

2.  A couple of days with my mum - earlier this week I went to stay with my parents and then Mum and I had a night at a hotel too. We visited Kew Gardens for the first time and spent loads of time walking, chatting, shopping and eating. It was so good!

Hello Springtime - So much to be Grateful for...

Yes, there is an awful lot of rain about at the moment but there are also wonderful glimpses of the sun and Spring really is in evidence here in East Sussex. I wanted to share a few pictures I have captured in the last couple of weeks, as I'm loving the colours of Spring.

We've got the bright yellow rapeseed fields right behind where we live, gorgeous bluebells in the woods and wisteria up the side of the main house. My parents stayed locally in a cottage last week and it was so nice to spend some time with them, even if we couldn't actually go in any restaurants or such. 

We had a lovely day in Eastbourne for an al fresco lunch and a good walk. The repainted pier is looking magnificent and we are looking forward to trying the new family amusements on there. 

This is the view from the cross on the other side of the lake where I live. Look at those glorious rapeseed fields in the background.

This little fella really made me smile, when he came to join my Mum and I as we enjoyed our sausage sandwich whilst shopping. Don't you think he looks really inquisitive?

We've started to have a farmers market at my home once a month and it has been really lovely. I've found some great new local suppliers and I also bought this handmade mug at the last one. I'm a bit in love with it.

Not really a springtime photo, but I love this picture I captured of our dopey cat.

And here's my mum with her furry friend, Archie the old lab.

One of my favourite trees. I call this one the seasons tree as it stands alone and you can really see the seasons change by looking at it.

I got sent some artisan cheese from the Hampshire Cheese Company this week and we have all been enjoying them. The Tunworth was my favourite, it is a British version of Camembert and it was so good. The Winslade was interesting as you can spoon it from the rind and that was popular with our girls. 

I do a fair amount of hanging around at the moment, waiting for the kids when I have to drop them off and collect them. I found this lovely spot this week and enjoyed a read and a coffee whilst I waited for JJ to finish college. The smell of the wisteria was delightful. 

Isn't this a great view? This was just before the sky opened and it poured down, but I was loving the contrast of colours of the courtyard outside my house.

I have to love my local town, as we have regular yarn bombers who cheer the place up. This is a definite spring theme to all the knitting and crochet creations this time.

I hope you're enjoying springtime too. There is always so much to be grateful for if you take the time to look for it. 

Oh Happy Day! Reasons to be Cheerful - April 2021

It's been a while since I've shared a Reasons to be Cheerful post. In fact, I just had a look and it was February, so March passed me right by, I don't know if I wasn't feeling grateful or was just feeling busy! Whichever, it doesn't matter, I'm here now and feeling very thankful today.

I'm almost ready for bed as I had a lovely day out today. My husband is still on part-furlough so we headed to Seaford Head and had a walk along the cliffs to the iconic view of the Seven Sisters past the Coastguards Cottages. 

We also walked along the beach and enjoyed a spot of lunch on the seafront. Our drive home was a long one along the cliffs with a stop at Birling Gap for a drink and to enjoy the views. It was lovely weather, quite windy, but still beautiful and we both look like tomatoes now with windburn!

Feeling Thankful in February Lockdown

I'm pleased to report that my mood is much improved since the last time I wrote a reasons to be cheerful post. The announcement on Monday that the UK has a plan for the next few months has really boosted me. I can't wait to be able to see my parents, go to church, travel for a break away and have a meal out. I don't do lots of extravagant or expensive things in life but I do really enjoy the simple things and I can't wait to enjoy them all again. 

That said, I have been still looking for the silver linings in this lockdown and have many blessings to count -

*  As I tided the kitchen this morning I watched a kestrel flying overhead, a pheasant wandering past my window and a then bunny hopping by and I reflected on how much I love living in the countryside.

*  I helped with community meals today at church and it was great to have a chat with a few people. 

*  Our little cat is being very affectionate with me at the moment, I still marvel at the fact that I now like cats. 

Surviving Home Schooling and Feeling Thankful #R2BC

Time to sit down and bash out my little dose of positivity. It's been a good couple of weeks, and I've managed to get out a couple of times - nowhere particularly exciting of course but it still counts and it's good for my soul.

I've been feeling really thankful this last week and that is amazing as it is like a drug to me, soothing me, reminding me that things will be OK, and we can all get through this. 

Here is a list of just some of my reasons to be thankful -

• The girls are getting on with their homeschooling (in the main!) and the most frequent thing I have to do is jivvy them along and threaten consequences if they don't knuckle down and get on with the work.
• You can tell the school/ teachers are now more confident with teaching remotely as most of their resources are in Google classroom and thus easy to access and the girls are having a few live lessons every day too.
• My JJ is a treasure, he just gets on with his college work and is really self-motivated. He's such a good lad and is happy to help the girls too if they need it. That sure helps me as I have no idea bout most GCSE maths or science. 
• Miss E is constantly on Facetime with a girl from school and they seem to be establishing a really lovely and deep friendship during this lockdown. I pray it continues when they return to school. 
• We had to take the cat to the vets for a check-up as he was bitten last month and he is healing well, this meant Miss E and I got out and we could get a cheeky McDonalds drive-through.
• We've found out some stuff that has been going on for one of our twins and it is difficult stuff (I won't go into it) but I am so pleased to now know and to be able to offer her support. We've talked more and spent more time together this week, which is very good.

Pre-Christmas Reasons to be Cheerful

Having just gone into tier 4 (practically lockdown) this past weekend it seems extra pertinent to write a Reasons to be Cheerful post and to try to focus on the good things going on in my life.

First off, the biggies - my family are all well, my friends are well, we have a lovely home, our heating got fixed and we are warm, we have enough food to eat and we can afford to pay our bills. In this time when people are losing loved ones, jobs and homes, I know we are very lucky to have all of those things still.

Then the next thing I am giving thanks for, is that I know Jesus. My faith makes a massive difference in my life and it is so much richer for it. We are also part of a super community-spirited church and we've had some great zoom church services, a quiz and met some other members online for a chat recently. 

I'll share a few photos from other precious moments in the last couple of weeks -

*  Decorating the tree with Miss E. Going for the mismatched but full of memories look

Reasons to be Cheerful - Advent, Cakes and Walks

It's time to share another cheery update. I find this such a good practise to record all the things that I'm grateful for and I was listening to a podcast this week that reminded me that counting your blessings is one of the antidotes to leading a bitter life. I certainly don't want to go through life bitter, and I know I have a tendency for that, so here is my next gratitude instalment.

1. Beautiful winters days, with amazing skies but not too cold.

2.  Lockdown has finished and we are welcoming guests back to the centre where I live.

3.  I had a great walk with a friend along Bexhill seafront, it was good to chat and enjoy a hot chocolate.

4.  My girls filled an advent calendar  for me and the first day was a little note saying 'I love you', it's very cute

Reasons to be Cheerful - Sharing a Little Lockdown Cheer

It's been a while since I shared one of my happy posts and of course, I know that remembering to be grateful makes a massive difference in my life. So here is my long-overdue update of many of the things in my life that are making me cheerful and thankful right now.

An easy one to start us off. I've been enjoying doing some baking during this lockdown and I'm very pleased to say that my bakes have been turning out really well. Here we have choc chip banana bread, chocolate brownies and lemon cake. 

I'm working through a series with my church at the moment called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and I'm finding it very useful as I realised a few months ago that I have been stifling my emotions for about the last decade and it is time for me to start feeling again and acknowledging the joys and hurts of life. 

I've been spending time in one of our prayer rooms that is filled with an art installation called 1000 bottles of tears. I've been using the bottles to try and help me release some of my repressed emotions. I've managed tears in my eyes twice now, which feels like progress! (Not everyone's kind of reason to be cheerful I realise, but I'm pleased!)

Feeling Grateful for Time, Photography and Flowers

Hello friends, I hope you’re well? I’ve been trying to write this R2BC post for days now and I keep running out of time but I’m now wondering if that was God’s intention, so I had to write it today. I have a terrible headache today and I just feel like I want to curl up in bed, but instead, there are things to be done - JJ to run to college and back, Miss M to collect from her friends later and dinner to be sorted, so making time to sit down and reflect on the things I am grateful for is just perfect.

Here is my grateful list for the last week or so -

1.  I have time to have a cup of tea alone and with my hubby.

2.  I've been Trying out new settings on my phone camera and really liked learning a little more. 

3.  Discovering the glass doors on my cooker can come apart for cleaning in between them. I had no idea! Why haven’t I known this for the last twenty years?

4.  Having a lovely walk and coffee with a friend by the beach the other day.

Feeling Cheery this October #R2BC

It's time to share a positive update again. I find this process of thinking through the last week or two and looking for the highlights so therapeutic that I vowed (back in 2011) to do it regularly, and sometimes I've been great and others a month or two can go by and I've forgotten. But not to worry, here I am now and that is what matters.

Studying the Enneagram

I'm feeling very optimistic as we head into October, as I was on a course for a couple of days last week, studying the Enneagram. This is an ancient tool used to discover your personality type, which I really like as it isn't static, there are lots of opportunities to grow and become more balanced as a person, whilst understanding what deeply motivates you. 

I feel as if I went really deep earlier this week and discovered more about myself and now I have some work to do to learn more about why I act and react in certain ways. I'm not sure this will be the most painless process but it feels very necessary, so I am game!

Even though the course was held at Ashburnham Place (my home) I went and stayed in one of the guest bedrooms and attended the course as an external guest. So I enjoyed good meals, chats and time alone without any responsibilities except to look after myself. 

A visual depiction on my course, of how we are all living in the dark and bound to our ways,
before we become enlightened and move into the light

Owning what I do

I noticed this last week that I have made progress when talking about my life and what I do. The common question when you meet someone new is that they ask what you do, or what your work is and for the last seven years since I left my role as a trainer at a university, I have always mumbled as I answered and given variations on the answer 'not a lot'.

This week I told anyone who asked me that I was self-employed. That I'm a paid writer and social media manager and I didn't add any ifs or buts. It felt good. 

Grateful for a fabulous local Garage

A stupid pheasant with a deathwish decided to fly into my wing mirror as I drove along at speed the other day. I saw it walking across the road but doing 45 mph and with cars behind me I could only brake a little and the stupid bird decided to try and take flight in the direction of my car, then boom! It caused me £110 of damage, but it would have been a lot more if I hadn't had a great local garage who helped me sort it out. I have no idea what to do about car stuff, so I am so grateful to be able to just turn up and Carlton always helps me. 

JJ's Provisional Driving License has Arrived

My boy turns 17 this month and he is keen to get started with his lessons, so I am very pleased his provisional driving license has arrived and now we can book the lessons and also his theory test. I'm hoping that it is all quite a quick process for him as he has great information retention and recollection and normally good reactions and spatial awareness too. 

Making an Effort

I've felt for a while that I am looking a bit old and worn. So I treated myself to a nice new bright top from the charity shop (a bargain £3 and you could see it was new) and each day of the course I put on make-up and rocked my mask. I think I'm finally getting used to wearing them.

Reasons to be Cheerful - Suiting Myself!

I have to say that I am really pleased that the girls have gone back to school and JJ has started college, this means I am getting a bit of time alone in my house again. I treasure this time. It's when I do the cleaning, listen to the silence and just suit myself.

Today all three kids were working and then the girls went into the local town with my hubby, this again left me alone to do whatever I wanted to do. So it has been the most lovely day and I feel as if I have achieved loads but it has been simple, no stress activities without having to travel anywhere. 

The only downside of my day was getting up early to ensure the girls got to work for 8am and JJ for 8.30am. I figured because I was already awake I might as well do an exercise DVD and clock up some good steps to start my day well.

It was then time for some yummy scrambled eggs on toast and preparing all the veggies for tonight's roast dinner whilst watching church online. I enjoyed the service and as it was just me in my kitchen I was able to sing to my heart's content.

A quick tidy of the kitchen, put the washing on and do the few bits of ironing I had and then I headed for a leisurely shower and a read of my book whilst I dried off. It really was a very slow-paced and enjoyable day!

I met JJ for lunch and we had ham and cheese paninis in the sun and then a walk around one of the lakes before he had to go back to work and I continued around the other lake and sat for quite some time praying and waiting on God. 

By the time I got back home, it was time to cook the roast dinner and watch a bit of Chicago PD as I did so. We then had a good family dinner together and everyone shared a little of their day. I got the kids to clear up and I read some more of my book.

And here I am now doing a spot of blogging whilst watching Home Alone. It really has been a lovely day, just suiting myself but still looking after my house and family. I'll be heading to bed soon for a little more reading and feeling quite content that I clocked up over 13,500 steps on my leisurely day.

I hope you've had a nice Sunday and been able to find even a little time to suit yourself too.

I'm linking this post up with Becky at Lakes Single Mum for Reasons to be Cheerful.

Super Hot Reasons to be Cheerful

I have to admit that I don't much like the heat. I'm really not built for it and unless I am on a sun lounger, under a parasol, reading a book, by the pool then I'm not interested. If I had my way, I'd just stay in and be cool, but of course with kids and especially being away from home I had to head out and make the best of it. Usually, I'd slip into a supermarket for a bit to enjoy the air-conditioning but right now with Covid and masks, I'm staying away from those as much as possible.

Despite the crazy heat here in East Sussex, it has been a great month and here are some of the things that have been making me super happy.

My Mum and Dad came to stay in the cottage we have on-site here and it was lovely to spend a whole week with them, visiting lots of open spaces.

I've had a few trips to Bodiam Castle recently as it is super close to my home. Here is Miss E feeding the ducks, they do seem to love her.

Summertime Reasons to be Cheerful #R2BC

Time just seems to have been escaping me recently. The easing of lockdown has meant that the centre where I live is slowly re-opening and this means I've been busy helping my husband get things ready and also doing the social media. Add that to my regular work, looking after the house and trying to keep the kids interested in their education and I've been a busy girl. Here is my home looking really beautiful as I drove back in at sunset the other day -

I've had some great walks out in our grounds with my kids over the last few months. Sunset is a popular time, once dinner and tidying up is done, we head off and wander. The girls go on the swing, they teach me tik tok dances and they laugh at me, it's bliss!

Reasons to be Cheerful - Dentists, Walking and Embroidery

Where does the time go friends? How did it end up being Friday evening already? I remembered yesterday morning that it was Thursday and I should write a reasons to be cheerful post but then time has escaped me. I do find that the kids being home totally sucks my time away, but I'm trying to remind myself not to moan about that as they won't be around and be of an age where they want to be with me forever!

Despite the miserable weather June has been a good month so far and we've been making sure we have some family time together out and about. Here are just a few of the things that have been making me grateful -

*    I've been taking part in some FitBit challenges to help me move more and they have been fun.

*    I've been taking lots of walks around my home and some of the grass is being let go to meadow, it is so pretty!

*    Miss E and I have both enjoyed taking up a new craft project each, I am trying embroidery and she is doing chunky cross stitch.