The last 12 months haven’t been easy for us as a family – first I spent the last half of last year feeling less than brilliant and then this year there’s been such a lot going on that I’ve been ridiculously stressed about.
I think things are starting to sort themselves out now so I’m ready to share a little bit about what’s been going on although I’m probably not going to go into much detail – I will say that after a lot of tears (from me), shouting (from my usually lovely Dad) and hugs (from Mr Frugal and the kids) my now lovely again Dad is living in a care home as it’s clear that he’s not well enough to live on his own anymore.
I think that’s probably enough about that other than to say that it’s been awful and the relief I feel now is immense – literally I had the first full night’s sleep the night in month’s before we left for the Isle of Wight, Honestly, Premier Inn always has the best pillows and mattresses (not sponsored, I booked and paid in full :-)) and I always get a good night sleep so that combined with the relief of seeing my Dad in a safe and caring environment gave me the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time!
I don’t share too much of my life drama here on the blog because I’m generally a positive person and I try on not to dwell on the bad stuff. This little blog is my happy place so I hope you’ll forgive me for not sharing until now.
Which brings me back to the point of today’s post!
I want to try and get back into my monthly ‘small things that make me smile’ posts because it always helps me to focus on the little things that have made me happy. It’s all to easy to focus on the arguments instead of the laughter or the stressful times instead of the time spent relaxing together and it does me good to spend some time thinking about the things that make me smile during the month.
Here’s just a few of the things that have made me smile over the last few weeks….
I’ve picked up my camera again for the first time in months and that makes me very happy! It made me laugh in the Isle of Wight when we drove around a bend in the road to be greeted with the most beautiful view – without even being asked, Mr Frugal pulled into the next lay-by so I could get out and take a photo.
These amazing Liberty decorated phone boxes from Bicester Village definitely made me smile on what was a very rainy and windy day….
Mr Frugal has been spoiling me a little bit in the last few weeks as he’s felt a bit helpless as far as everything else that’s been going on. I think it’s been his way of dealing with it and although not particularly frugal, a treat’s OK every now and again – especially when it’s a new Kate Spade scarf that I picked up, fell in love with and then put back because even at half price, I just couldn’t justify the money. I walked away and he went back and bought it which is lovely and the thought behind it as much as the scarf has made me happy.
Cake always makes me smile….
As do flowers, although I’ve discovered that a lot of the pleasure in flowers for me these days is actually taking photos of them….
That’s just a few of the small things that have made me smile recently along with a bit of a vague catch up on what’s been going on here, I’ll be back next month with more happy thoughts!
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