The gift of simplicity

It's 17th December and I've finally finished our Christmas shopping!  I can't believe we've got this far without it being all complete, considering I started in November!  Mum and I have been so busy with The Seashack that time has run away with me.  But it's lovely now to be able to relax......bake......write......have some me-time :-)

I was wrapping up a present that I'd bought for my Daughter earlier and it got me thinking about what we have bought for our children and how it didn't seem like they have many presents.  We have a bit of a rule in our house...something along the lines of less is more.  I will admit I do find it a challenge not to go crazy buying them things.  There is nothing better than seeing that look of joy when they open something they lovely, isn't there? 

One of my fondest memories as a child is waking up on Christmas morning to find a sack full of presents!  It was truly the best bit.  My parents weren't rich and the presents weren't lavish but just the act of unwrapping lots of little bits was so exciting!  As the years went on the sack would get smaller (less presents, each individual one probably costing much more as we got older) and then of course the sack was finished and I think it was the time when Christmas started to get less exciting; when we grew up and knew that Santa wasn't real and the magic sort of ebbed away.  It makes me sound dreadfully shallow; I'm not, I'm really not.  I realise what Christmas is about and I'm not still tragically devastated but at the time it's what I felt. 

Anyway back to our presents 'rule'.  My Husband made the rule and he has a touch of OCD so this is kind of how it originated.  He suggested that we buy the kids one thing between us and then one thing from each of us.  And now we have 2 children they also buy each other something.  So essentially each of them get 4 presents; a gift from Mummy & Daddy, a gift from Mummy, one from Daddy and then one from their sibling.  It sounds so little in this day and age but I think this is only because we are used to giving and getting so much.  It really started for a few reasons:

1) Both of our children get so much from the rest of the family. They are amazingly generous and with 2 sets of Grandparents, 2 Aunts and Uncles and friends, as well as us, they are more than showered with new things :-)

2) We want to live more simply.  This means less of everything; less toys around, less mess, less choice.  We have found that when the kids have less they become less overwhelmed and more likely to enjoy playing with their favourite items.  We still have many different types of toys but if they aren't playing with it, it gets put away or given to charity if it's not needed.  Having less around and less stored away has so many benefits - I'll do a blog on this very soon. 

3) We would rather save the money for experiences together in the future.  That £100 that we don't spend on toys that they probably don't 'need' can sit in our account for a holiday in the future or days out. 
And are the children worried at all about what they don't get?  No, of course not - that's all in my head :-)  The few items that we have chosen for our 4-year-old he has been going on and on about for months and he will be over the moon!  He knows no different; this is how it has always been and hopefully this is the basis for us teaching him simplicity, gratitude and less is more :-) 

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! 

Gemma xx

Getting things done :-)

I was about to blog about productivity and the irony is that it has just taken me about half an hour to get this laptop to work well enough to be able to start to write! :-)

My Husband just made a valid point; sometimes technology is just too advanced - and then gets in the way of itself when it tries to be too clever!  Either way, it got the better of me!  But, phew - it's working now :-)

So I started the evening with a little girl still awake but running in and out of Daddy's gym - which was actually the perfect scenario for me because it meant that she was having a great time; Daddy and her were spending time together (which if you knew my little girl you'd know she really likes to be with Mummy!), & I was able to crack on with some work :-)  I had a sudden creative spurt; scissors out, bits of fabric everywhere and fingers covered in glue and sawdust! This is some of what I came up with:

You can't really see in this photo but the bottom left block is really unusual.  We had a plank of wood that had split and Mum thought we wouldn't be able to make use of it.  We managed to snap it in several places and it split really beautifully to leave us with 4 or 5 unique pieces to work with.  Actually let me take some shots of one of them......

I could see this one as a snowy Winter scene straight away...with trees and I wanted it to be fairly muted.  We found this lovely muted green fabric in a local shop, with tiny bits of red in it - you can see it above in the first photo.  It reminds me a little of the liberty prints.  We've not used it much so far but I knew it would be perfect teamed with a neutral star print.  I've only got as far as painting the snow in - before I got the urge to pack up for the night and write this ;-) 

So my productivity definitely comes in waves......and when I get that inspiration I just have to go with it and see where it takes me.  Which I kind of like - that trust in your intuition - it's very liberating and exciting to see what comes out of it :-)

Gemma xx



When you're glad you didn't throw out that book :-)

Yesterday I was out with Mum at a bookstore and I suddenly felt inspired to start reading again and when I got home I searched through my wardrobe and I found this.

Mum bought it for me years ago.  I can't believe I still have it!  I have a horrible habit of decluttering - which you might think sounds great but our house has ended up pretty sparse!  And it means often there's something I'd really like to look at again but, oops, looks like it went to a charity shop! 

Anyway, this one made it for some reason - The Secret Daily Teachings by Rhonda Byrne - it's a great little book Mum bought me years ago, pre-children and when I started to get interested in the Law of Attraction.  It's got a quote or paragraph or something to mull over each day - for a whole year.  And although I remember starting this one January, you know what it's like - by April I was forgetting to look at the day's page (in fact I think I did pretty well to make it to April!).  So I decided to open it up as I kind of felt I *needed* to look at it.  And I came across this page very early on.

It's amazing what a buzz reading this stuff gives me!  It reminded me of years ago when I started to realise that gratitude was the key to shifting my mood.  I used to spend each morning on the train to work counting as many things as I could to be grateful for until my mood would lift.  Gratitude is simply remembering all those little things; the things we are too busy to notice; the things that are around us that uplift and enliven our mood a little :-) The more you focus on these things, the less space there is to see the other stuff; the stuff that drains us; that eats away at us; that causes us to feel less great than we should. 

And you know what?  For most of us, life doesn't always run as smoothly as we might like.  Things happen.  Sometimes they are small things and sometimes they are huge and we don't know how we are going to get past them. And sometimes it's just not feasible to feel like you can be grateful for things...when you're in the depths of a down-time or things just don't seem to be going right it's hard to pick yourself up and see the other side.  I have been here - sometimes I just don't want to feel good.  But since regularly making gratitude practice a part of my life, overall, I can pick myself up quicker from one of these dark days.  Little by little you can help yourself to get back to where you want to be. 

I love this little quote that I found on Pinterest.  I did a bit of research and this was created by Chelsea at Moments A Day.  Isn't social media just amazing for connecting people?  I already know that Chelsea's blog and Facebook page are right up my street :-)

*This* is exactly how I try my best to see the world.  I believe that in every situation there is a way to look at it in a positive light.  It can be hard.  It takes a lot of training yourself if this isn't your natural outlook but it is such a lovely way to live - to see the best every day.  *This* is what I want to teach my children.  I want them to look at the world through loving eyes and approach life with love, not fear. 

I'm going to leave you with this funny image I found (from Pinterest also). 

 

I love the guy at the desk reading :-)  It takes a lot less stress and energy to trust in life and look for the best - and be truly content with what you have.  I always wonder what might happen if the people in the left-hand queue took the stance of those who aren't in the right-hand one?  What do you think about this?

Love and ((hugs))

Gemma x



Being kind to yourself <3

I've noticed tons this week I keep saying "That's just my luck"! It's like it's become a bit of a habit to say every time something doesn't quite go right. Like just now I was choosing something for my Daughter to watch on iPlayer and the thing she wanted on appeared to be the only thing that wasn't there!

I like to be mindful of the things I say and the way I talk to myself. 1) Because I'm really interested in the Law of Attraction (which says that what you think you attract) & 2) because ideally I want to be kind to myself :-)

This all links in to my inner panicker; that part that wants to be in control all the time but sometimes can't be. I meet this part a lot lately! And what I'm really looking for is way to say it's ok to be like this but actually I'd like to react a little differently.

And really none of these things are actually bad luck or a big deal or typical of the way my life generally goes. By keep telling myself 'oh that's just my luck' (i.e. things going wrong) then I'm certain I'll be putting that vibe out there that 'yes, this is what i want and expect for myself' - for things to go wrong.

So today I'll be a little more mindful of how I'm talking to myself - but be gentle with myself too. Because I'm learning every day how to be more connected with myself and my feelings and live more lovingly - particularly towards myself. It doesn't always run smoothly but I learn lots along the way :-)

Gemma x

When all I want to do is sew.................

It’s a wet Saturday and I’m feeling a little resentful.   Apart from being creatively occupied with The Seashack, one of my other jobs is teaching psychology (yes, unusual combination I know!).  I have a new group of students, am teaching on a brand new course and today I simply HAVE to get on with reading the new material and preparing what I need to teach – I could have done this a few weeks ago when I had plenty of time and was not at the stage of feeling stressed about it all, but have been in avoidance mode………   As if it was ever going to go away!   But all I want to do today is complete orders and paint, sew and create new Seashack creations. 

I  was reminded (by Gemma)  to change my perspective on what needs to be done.  A timely reminder as I have been spouting the words of Wayne Dyer for many years – ‘Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change’.  So with these and Gemma’s words in mind, I’m going to treat the work that needs to be done in the same way as any other household chore – just get on with it with loving intention and good grace and once it’s done then spend time painting/sewing/creating and feel satisfied that I have given my best to my work, done what needs to be done and can now do what I love most of all. 

I am grateful for all of my work life and I value the different skills my work allows me to develop – some work tasks are more joyful than others but if I can bring the best I can be to each task, each type of work then I will feel more fulfilled and happy in my life and not waste time on negative emotions like resentment and frustration which drain my energy and make me feel bad about myself.

Now, that feels much better and I’m now feeling in a state of appreciation for every aspect of my working life :).  Just need to keep this perspective going…………….!

Shirley x

 

 

 

Spilt mustard seeds...

Now this looks an intriguing scene you might say!

It is in fact the scene of previous chaos ;-)  I didn't know what to call this post so I decided to go with a literal description!

It's always the same isn't it? You've got young children, you're trying to make the dinner, they are doing everything that you don't really want them doing at that moment. They are of course just exploring and generally being children :-) We foolishly had a pull-out spice rack fitted in our new kitchen prior to having our second child and she's very much fascinated with it right now!  First it was the herbs, then the turmeric (goodbye clothes!) & today's incident was the most fun......hundreds of little mustard seed balls dancing across the kitchen, whilst I juggled 3 saucepans and said little Explorer!

I'll be honest here. My first reaction was 'Grrrrrrrrrr' followed by 'Arrrrgggghhh'! And then 'That's just what I need right at this moment!' I wanted to direct my annoyance to her, this poor little 19 month old dot, who was really just exploring and found out great fun to so a bit of pouring with these cute little glass containers. With things in them! After all, she was the one who had poured them out and caused the mini chaos. But thankfully at this moment my rational thinking kicked in. It doesn't always happen like this but I try my very best to see things from the other side. Today was a good, rational day! So I decided to own it; to take responsibility for what happened. It was no big deal. I put the spices there at her level. Children learn through exploring. She didn't do it deliberately. I felt calmer straight away and better than I might have done over-reacting.

To me, taking responsibility and ownership for things that happen to you doesn't mean letting the other party get away with something. It means meeting halfway and acknowledging there might have been some things you could have done differently. It also means retaining that power instead of giving it away and wasting energy on things that you cannot change.

No harm done, play continues & so does life :-)

Gemma x

Cumbrian crafts

I'm on holiday in Cumbria at the moment and taking advantage of the wonderful craft scene here.

Any chance to feel inspired by the vast selection of different crafts and art work on display!
Not to mention the outstanding scenery :)

 

I came across Lanercost Priory, dating back to the 12th century AD and built from stones from nearby Hadrian's wall.  The crafts exhibition was held in Dacre Hall, attached to the Priory which is the oldest village hall in England - beautiful oak beams and aging brickwork added a rustic feel to the variety of work on display.

 

I was inspired by some gorgeous flowery watercolour paintings (by the talented Christina Hargraves)and magnificent felted pictures (by the equally talented Pamela Harrington)  as well as some quirky prints with funny and inspiring quotes (by Denise Huddleston from The Cuckoo Tree )  -  definitely The Seashack's cup of tea!

I have lots of ideas to bring back to 'The Shack' and hopefully develop into new products we hope you will love!

I love exploring other people's work and trying to understand how they see the world around them and how that might differ from my perspective.  One thing's for sure, it's definitely made me feel I want to spend more time sketching and painting so I will just have to somehow create more time for this in my busy life :)

Shirley x