A project

My newest obsession as of late is to browse the Cath Kidston shop website & daydream of owning everything they have to offer. I am in love with all the prints, the fabric is just to die for, they offer a lovely selection of kitchen & other household goods, and I just love all the purses & wallets.

Alas, one has no use for that many purses & wallets (well I don't at least) so I am just letting myself browse for now. I've also decided to wait to purchase one after we get to our new home for there will be a CK shop in the nearby town of Cambridge. With that being the case I can save on paying shipping & pick it up in person. The hardest part is to go in & just buy a purse and a wallet. Maybe eventually I'll get a new tea set & splurge on some of her fabric as well.

So to satisfy the need for Cath Kidston in my life I have recently visited my favorite craft shop & purchased some lovely yarns inspired by the shades CK uses in her items. She keeps it simple only using a few hues so I was able to find some similar & am using them to crochet the niftiest of quilts. This will keep me busy for quite some time me thinks. I'll post pictures as I progress with this project.

hugs,
Jenna

Some Perspective

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of "Cat," and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

Think twice before you start to complain about your spouse leaving the toilet seat up or whatever insignificant thing they've done to annoy you.

It could always be worse.

Happy Monday All

‎"Ride the energy of your own unique spirit." 

- Gabrielle Roth

Squeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Ever since we found out we're moving to England I have been daydreaming of rural English cottages made of stone surrounded by beautiful flowers and green foliage. Yes, I'm going by what I've seen in movies, because really that is my only frame of reference. Unfortunately the last time I was in England I only stayed in London & the only countryside I saw was from the window of a bus as we headed to Dover to be loaded on a ferry & then made our way to France. 

Well I found a blog that hasn't been updated since 2009 that was made by a woman stationed at RAF Mildenhall with her family. Even though it's a few years old it was quite helpful in suggestions for day trips with the family. She had lived off and on base at different points of their tour & she was a strong advocate for living off base. She had many tips & made me even more hopeful that living off base would be the best decision for us. There was even a link that sent me to a website that finds homes & flats for rent that lets you choose the size of the place & gives you a good idea of what your budget should be. Well, I found quite a few 3 bedroom homes WELL UNDER our budget that are in the town we're really hoping to live in! They're not as rural as I would hope, but I'm excited to get to know our English neighbors! I just hope they like me. I know Americans aren't universally loved abroad, but I'm hoping that since there is a large number of Americans living in the area that my English neighbors will be friendly & welcoming!

Another exciting post from the old blog was about Antique shopping! She listed quite a few places within driving distance that offer great deals & have an excellent variety of antiques. I cannot wait to check out these markets for exciting treasures for my home as well as great gifts to send home to friends & family!

cheers,

Jenna

I caved!

After a bit of encouragement from some twitter friends I caved & decided to dig out my Halloween decorations and had a fun afternoon setting everything up. This is the first time I've decorated this house for the holiday & it turned out to be kind of perfect for all of my decor. It's too bad I won't actually be here for this Halloween.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
A little overcast, but still a bit warm.

Things that make me happy: 
Crafting, running, antique shopping.

Book I'm reading:
Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's on my TV today: 
Layla and I are watching 'Hocus Pocus' because even though it's the first day of August I'm excited about Halloween!

On the menu for dinner:
Not sure yet. Probably some baked chicken & rice.


On my To Do List:
Mail in old passport so I can get my new one.

Mail care package to friend in Iraq.

Clean my kitchen.

Dig out Halloween boxes from storage closet.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
A few years ago my first attempt at twice baked potatoes (my husband's favorite food) went horribly wrong & they tasted horribly. After that I was deterred from ever making them again, but recently I tried once more & they turned out WONDERFUL! So I've been making those lately.

In the craft basket:

Still working on my vintage hankie bunting & I'm also crocheting & making yarn pompoms to piece together for unique bunting in my bedroom.

Looking forward to this week:
Getting everything on our checklist done so we can get our orders & we're one step closer to moving!

Tips and Tricks:
When you're working on crafts, but you have a little one that won't stay our of your hair find a way to involve them. Or make them feel involved by giving them your scrap supplies to work with. I was punching out paper hearts with a scrapbook tool so I was left with a lot of scrap paper with hearts throughout, so I gave those to Layla to play with and she got creative in her own way by making a "birdie nest" & sat on it while watching a movie. SO CUTE!



My favorite blog post this week: 
My cousin over at Beard and Braids has been blogging more recently & she has been contemplating some ideas for how she is going to decorate the new place her & her husband are moving into soon. She posted a picture of a corner of a room that I just LOVE!


Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
I haven't found anything new recently.


No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:
Patience is a virtue. Something I have to remind myself daily.

On my mind:
Our big move. I'm really looking forward to it, and it feels like it's approaching fast, but I'm really trying to stay mindful & enjoy the time I have left here in California.