one little word :: three months balance

When I chose change as my one little word for 2013 little did I know of what was to happen.

The past three months have been riddled with change, most of which I did not choose nor want, and a learning path of acceptance and dealing with it.

There's a lot to be said for dealing with it. And just having to deal with it. I think that's the style I do best - just doing it. I can do it and I can deal with it by just doing it. And then I throw smiles into the mix for good measure!

Having the one little word, and it being change of all words, has helped me stay focused and has reminded me that I can still choose change within the change that just happens. I can change how I deal with it, for starters. And that is a big thing!

One little word, you rock!

::inspiring Mondays::

Morning light in Lisbon is magical. And it makes any Monday special. As does a holiday and family time. Ah inspiring Mondays, sometimes you're so easy!

I've been busy doing happiness photosynthesis these days. Sunflowers, I get you! Rosy cheeks and sunglasses, you rock! Now, how to bag some of this for my friends back in Oxford? Hum...!

:: family time!

:: cat squeezing! The good kind.

:: sunlight.

:: good chats with Little Brother.

:: bright blue skies!

:: simple breakfasts.

:: good people. The world is filled with them.

:: an unexpected compliment about the blog = smiley Joey

Hope you had a light-filled Monday :)

Back to sewing

Last weekend marked my sewing come back. Not that I was away for long, just a few months, but the reason it's so important is that I had wanted to finish this design for a while now and it's finally done.

I'm happy with it. I'm ecstatic I've designed and created it! I had a very big push from Little Brother who believed in me for both of us. To now see it done and looking good is very rewarding.

Now onto the next phase...

my new RSS reader is...

Feedly!

I miss my Google Reader. I do. But the world did not end and I can still read the blogs I love, reliably and simply. In the grand scheme of things (how I love perspective these days!), all is well.

I have tried other services, one as a direct recommendation from MissLilly and two others from a google search, but Feedly won it for me. I could write a fair bit on the pros and cons of each service, but 1. I want to focus on why I like Feedly the best, 2. in these things, a lot of it is "because I liked it best" and not necessarily a result of in-depth analysis and scoring.

So... What do I like about Feedly?

:: it's simple.

:: simple, fast and seamless import of all the blogs I read from google reader.

:: visually appealing (even if I would prefer it one step simpler)

:: excellent iPhone app!

:: sharing buttons.

Little green cowl

This yarn had been waiting to jump on the knitting needles for ages, pretty much since the day this ever so soft green yarn threw itself at me in the wool shop!

This cosy small cowl took me less than four hours to knit. It has garter stitch edges and stockinette stitch for the main bit. It was knit in the round and I used no pattern, it's that simple.

Cowl :: I love it! It's cosy and warm and happy.

Yarn :: Manos del Uruguay. Gorgeous colour and softness. I recommend it.

April goals

I'm looking forward to April. The fourth month of the year brings me a trip to Portugal, the tracing of a path I'll have to walk, a few online courses from Jackie Rueda and more daylight (sunny or otherwise). 

I'm enjoying the focus I have in 2013 and I'm enjoying the journey that comes with having one little word. Most of all, I am enjoying the reflective moments that come when writing these posts and the pleasure of photo editing for it. Oddly, this reminds me of a university professor which used to say that more than loving our topic, we had to love the method of researching our topic (I studied Marine Biology) because ultimately that was the thing we would be doing day in and day out. How true!

In January I embraced change. In February I created change. In March I somewhat learned to deal with change. In April, I want to accept change.

:: to believe

:: use my Nikon camera at least twice a week

:: run 6.5k
:: cook three new recipes from a cookbook

....................................................................................................... 

You can read all my monthly goals posts here and my change :: one little word posts here.

::inspiring Mondays::

... on a non-Monday! Gotta love bank holiday Mondays, really!

As I sit in my living room genuinely grateful and heart-warmed by the wrapped sweet treats I've just been given, I wonder about how I came to be this lucky with the people I know. As I read emails and texts of dear friends who live far away but aren't far, I wonder about how I came to be this lucky with the people I know. As I look at the one photo from a requested pancake brunch because I fancied one, I wonder how I came to be this lucky with the people I know. As I'm driven to a nice location for what could be just another run but will be cooler now, I wonder how I came to be this lucky with the people I know. And the list goes on...

I never reach any conclusions and more often than not I'm just baffled at people's generosity towards me so I just savour the thought and said luck and I smile. Smiling feels good. And I hope they know how sweetly they make me smile, on inspiring Mondays and on all other days when I need a little hug.

:: finishing a sewing design. I did it!

:: celebrating food.

:: good friends.

:: knitting. I'm more and more into knitting.

:: Bath Spa. recommend!

:: two days of sunshine!

:: good coffee!

:: funky fabric.

I hope you've had a nice and relaxing start to the week... and the month. Hello April!