Waving, not Drowning

festive cleaning products - drinks on the go for me & my buddy - seasonal porn

christmas meal planning - cosy central - festive drinks for soothing sore throats

forrest's nursery christmas fayre treats - snuggling by the aga - festive knitwear for the little fella

instagram - madeupoflittlethings

I realise that it's been nearly three months since I posted. A very long blog break indeed. The thing about blogging is that the longer you leave it between posts, the harder it is to pick it back up. That's how it is for me anyway. The things I want to blog about mount up and the things I need to catch up on become an insurmountable pile and it just seems an impossible task. And I've always struggled with this type of thing. My unspoken personal mantra is 'if something looks too difficult, don't do it' Thank you very much to those lovely readers who have emailed me to check that I'm still alive, I promise I will get back to you!

We've been through a long patch of various illnesses with Forrest, intermingled with teething and growth spurts. Work has been extremely busy, Matt has bought another business premises which involved lots of backward and forward with the vendor and solicitors, we have agreed a sale on the cottage and the buyers are currently renting it from us whilst they raise the funds to proceed with the purchase, meaning I've been writing up contracts and dealing with a new tenancy. Despite the fact that I no longer work full time, life feels busier than it ever has.

For the last fortnight Forrest has been battling bronchitis. If you've never looked after a poorly baby then I can't really explain to you how horrible it is. It's especially bad because I have always suffered with my chest and have had bronchitis numerous times, so I know exactly how much every cough hurts and why he has spent so much time crying and clinging to my front like a koala bear. I have cleaned up more vomit during the last fortnight than I care to recount. I am desperately hoping that this week will see some glimmer of recovery - last night was the first time he'd slept through since he got ill so fingers crossed etc etc ...

Having a poorly baby has meant that I've missed out on some pretty exciting stuff. I missed the Lincolnshire Food & Gift Fair, which Lincolnshire Showground had kindly invited me to, as well as Lincoln Christmas Market last week. I was SO disappointed to miss out on such festive events - Matt and I had really been looking forward to showing Forrest the Christmas Market in all its glittery, baubley glory (as well as introducing him to the wonderful range of festive food) and I think this might be partly responsible for my total lack of Christmas cheer

We've all been a bit pulled down for the last couple of months and have lost all motivation to do anything to the ever-continuing house project. Matt did manage to fit the log burner a couple of weeks ago though and I can't tell you what a difference it's made. The kitchen is so cosy when the log burner and candles are lit and MY GOD it pumps out some heat! Lucky really, as it's enabled us to keep Forrest extra toasty while he's been ill. 

We've managed to make some progress though - our beautiful staircase is now complete and ready for painting and carpeting. The kitchen island was installed a month or so ago, our dressing room cabinetry is being made as I type and the plumber is here today to finish some jobs such as fitting the water softener, plumbing in the dishwasher (about time!) and radiators in the kitchen and bathroom, the basin in the cloakroom and the bidet in our en suite. There's still so much to do but every time a job gets finished it gives us a little bit of encouragement to keep going

December hasn't been a good month so far but I'm determined that this week I will turn a corner. I created a Festive Playlist and got all of our Christmas decorations out last night and dotted them around, instantly bringing some festive comfort to the room. I lit my favourite White Company 'Winter' candle and made a start on the Christmas editions of my favourite homes and interiors magazines. I'd like to get some more 'Christmas jobs' done but this is going to be a busy week all in all, with hospital appointments for Forrest and I and a long-awaited night away/Christmas shopping trip planned with Matt so card-writing and present-wrapping will have to wait until the weekend. I intend to make mulled wine (I'm determined to convert Matt to my mulled wine supping ways this year!) and mince pies and do my jobs whilst drinking, eating and listening to Christmas songs 

I hope you're all having a wonderful December and I look forward to sharing some more positive and festive posts soon!