New Window Theme….

It's still a work in progress but the new theme of the window is 'Oh when the saints….' 

It was inspired by a quote I came across recently from one of the most amazing people to ever walk this earth. 

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” Nelson Mandela (RIP) 

There are three saints days that are marked in Ireland one the coming weeks and with them there are lots of craft ideas. The first one is the St Brigid on the 1st of Feb. No doubt there are many schools that will make a cross but for my part I wanted to try something a little different. A cross stitch St Brigid's cross on a hessian square. It's a lovely craft idea for children of all ages and great to keep up the sewing. I like the idea of the St Brigid's cross, it is said to protect the house from fire and evil. I read somewhere that it was possibly derived from the pagan sun wheel and of course St Brigid's feast day falls on the Celtic Imblog (Imbolc) festival. So I thought I'd do a little bit of research.  

The Imblog festival was a festival of girls. The girls of the village would make a 'Bride doll' out of straw symbolising the Goddess Brigit from the last sheaf of the previous year's grain. It was carried from house to house and so brought the blessing to every home.

St Brigid of Cill Dara (Kildare) is believed to have incorporated elements from the worship of the goddess Brigit and so St Brigid's day is a welcome to the spring. I don't know about you but with this weather it doesn't feel like spring is around the corner. I was travelling from Leitrim today and the flooded fields look like they won't be receding any time soon. Anyway I found this in the internet….

'We sing a song to Brigid. Brigid brings the Spring.  Awakens all the fields and flowers, and calls the birds to sing.'

The next is of course St Valentine. Not much is known about this roman saint except for the fact that he died on the 14th of Feb. And of course the third is St Patrick but more to come on that.

Resolve on my Resolution

Well we are mid way through January and the New Year's resolution isn't going so well. It 's the same one that I've made for the last few years and as I have to keep making it then it obviously isn't working. What's the saying…. if you do what you always did you get what you always got!' Well not this year. 

What is this eternal resolution I hear you ask? Simply - to get organised. And anyone that knows me understands why I need to make this resolution. I live my life in a kind of organised chaos and I hoped the hubby might knock it out of me but it seems I've just engulfed him into my chaotic world. 

I do things on a 'just in time' basis and if it doesn't go to plan it can quickly spiral into a  a 'not enough time' basis. So the morning my husband when off the only unlost set of car keys leaving me stranded with two cars on the drive and no key to use either of them, hunting around for the dog bowl in my dressing gown as I had no clothes to throw on because they were all in either the washing pile or the ironing pile I decided 2014 really had to be the year to crack this resolution.

That was mid December and I had grant plans. The shop was closed for a few days and I was going to tackle the ironing pile, catch up on paper work, and generally transform overnight into some mega organised housekeeper and business woman. 

And 16 days into the new year the progress report would make poor reading. However if at first you don't succeed….I am going to keep plugging away at it. I am going to try a few different things and get a bit creative with it. My pal pinterest is a good place to start. I WILL end 2014 more organised than I started!