Weekend Roundup

Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a lovely weekend. I'm trying to be as positive and happy as is possible on a Monday morning, in the hope that this week will be a lot brighter than last. It was truly an awful week that tested us to the limits both emotionally and physically and the weekend was spent trying to move on from it. That meant starting the weekend off on Friday night with a long soak in the hot tub after the opening match of the Rugby World Cup and a few glasses of Prosecco. We've only had the hot tub for a few weeks but honestly I think it is the best thing that we've ever bought. It's so relaxing once the children have gone to bed, I love looking up at the stars and it's given Tim and I an hour or so together after the chaos of the day, without the interruption of phones ringing or emails pinging through.

Summer reappeared on Saturday which was lovely as we headed to Castle Combe for Rally Day. We were a little disappointed with the cars that were there, nothing really stood out although the girls enjoyed the doughnuts on the test track. We went for a lovely walk around a neighbouring village but otherwise it was lovely to be at home taking care of ourselves and pretty much hibernating from the rest of the world.

 

 

This week some things need to change around here. We've made the conscious decision this week to be a bit kinder to ourselves and healthier all round. We don't drink a lot but the odd glass of bubbly on the weekend may have become the odd glass with dinner lately. Hardly warrants checking into AA but considering I'm usually a clean eating fanatic and that dessert has become a regular occurrence aswell, it is time to get back into a routine of preparing healthy, nutritious meals only during the week and saving a dessert and glass of bubbly for a weekend treat only. I'm looking forward to the detox and hoping that it will help me become a bit more productive. My memory still isn't too good from the accident back in March, which is making work difficult and I'm lacking any motivation at the moment. I know where I want to be but trying to work out how to get there is a struggle so this afternoon will be spent with a pen and notepad to hand writing some of my famous lists!

 

How are you starting your week off? Have you got any advice for regaining motivation? I'm all ears!

 

Amy

xx

 

linking up with IBOT

New Horizons // Introducing 'The Cherished'

I've talked about it plenty of times on this little space but I love September. For me it seems like the beginning of a new year (can't you tell I'm an academic?!), bringing with it new opportunities and challenges, whilst the sun is hopefully still shining with just a hint of crispness in the air. Of course the children returned to school last week (major fist pumping going on in this house!) which is giving me the opportunity for a fresh start after a challenging and emotional summer moving to a new part of the country.

 

As with every September that has passed since I left university, I am slightly envious of anyone starting or returning to university for a new year. Yes, I am the girl who obsesses over new notebooks , pens and the obligatory 'new term' bag. There's something refreshing about opening a new book with crisp, unwritten on pages and although I'm not returning this year I will be implementing change and fresh starts this month.
 

I've been super busy and stressed the last few weeks trying to revamp this space. I've been wanting to rebrand for a little while but I was struggling to think of a name that was suitable and what I wanted to do with the aesthetics and to be honest the thought of mastering html, domain tranfers etc just scared me! Making Our Own Way was born at a time where my life was a rollercoaster, I was putting my life back together after a break up and figuring out who I really was instead of who I'd been moulded into, how to be a single mum to a daughter with additional needs whilst taking care of my own health issues and where I really wanted to go with my life. There have been a lot of ups and downs and whilst some of these obstacles undoubtedly remain, I'm finally in a place where my life should be more settled and I can move on from the uncertainty of the past.

 

As my life has moved on to a new phase it felt only natural that this blog should also. The Cherished has been brewing for a while and sleekly fits alongside my business Cherished Heritage and I'm looking forward to developing my brand as a whole. 

 

I hope that you like the new look here and that you'll stick around to join me in this new phase and perhaps join me on my Facebook page here. My other social media channels have remained the same and can be found on the right.

 

Amy

xx

What I Wore // Racing Weekend

 

 

It seems like forever since I published an outfit post, it has got to have been at least a year I'm guessing. I've not been in a very good place with my appearance and in all honesty I haven't really bought all that many new clothes to share. All of the pieces in this outfit are at least a year old and I've been working with what I already have. I suppose at least I'm living in a new place now and not many people will have seen the contents of my wardrobe.

 

We had an extended weekend this week as Friday was our youngest's birthday. We headed to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway late afternoon where I got over excited at all the shops (living in the country just doesn't hit it for shopping) and came back with a massive Boots haul! Dinner and a few cocktails hit the spot perfectly at TGI Friday's before heading home.

 

Sunday we travelled up to Herefordshire for a British round of the Autograss championship and the weather was beautiful. This Miso jumpsuit was perfect with a chambray shirt and comfortable Next sandals. The dogs enjoyed being outside all day, hiding in the van when the heat became too much and all the attention they received whilst walking around the track. The girls (human and canine) all fell asleep on the trip home so we headed back via Monmouthshire and were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery in peace. And now we are already half way through the next week, how has that happened? Time to get the kids kitted up in school uniform ready to start the new term and then maybe I can start looking to change up my wardrobe ready for autumn :)

 

Amy

xx

 

Linking up with What I Wore Wednesday & Watcha Wearing Wednesday

 



 







Lifestyle // Settling In - Countrylife

Oh my goodness - just how difficult is it to try and keep on top of blogging during the school holidays? I'm certainly struggling with three girls around the house along with bags and boxes still laying around the place as we try to accommodate five peoples belongings into a house that housed three. At rare moments when all three children seem to be occupied, I turn on my laptop and nothing - absolutely nothing! I have a list of post ideas as long as my arm yet my writing ability seems to have disappeared along with routine this summer. Thanks to the fibro fog (which seems worse since my accident earlier this year), I need time to clear my mind and focus it on writing before I can start and yeah, the chance of some peace for that happen is slim to none with the kids home. 

I cleared out my house in South Wales last week and handed back the keys so now officially reside in Somerset. My emotions have been all over the place, although I am where I want to be giving up my home has been unsettling. Moving here is such a huge change and is taking some getting used to, I've been feeling isolated having no friends here yet and village life in the countryside is so quiet. I've switched from working at an office in Cardiff Bay with motivating and inspiring people, straight into being a full time mum of three during the holidays and crave some adult, intellectual conversation and on top of all I've left my sister, niece and nephews during my nieces battle with stage 4 cancer.

With everything going on I guess it's was inevitable at some stage that my emotions would overwhelm me, on top of  cleaning and moving furniture the constant driving between Somerset and South Wales over the last few weeks has left me completely exhausted and has taken it's toll on me. As usual, I'm probably being too hard on myself which has made me feel worse. 

I'm definitely used to a faster pace of life and miss the buzz of the city (and the shopping!), but I need to embrace life here in the countryside and establish some sort of routine to help settle in. I am challenging myself to find somewhere new each week to visit and really explore my new surroundings. One welcome inclusion at the moment is a weekly trip to the library in Wells. The girls are all taking part in the reading challenge which is giving me the opportunity to pick up a book and read for enjoyment - I can't remember the last time I picked up a book that wasn't for academic purposes! After the girls have selected their books for the week, we've headed to a coffee shop (not Starbucks though, there's a distinct lack of them in Somerset 😞) or for a spot of lunch on the cathedral green. Not a bad place to relax for an hour I don't think. Today we are heading out to Cheddar Gorge to meet up with a cousin of mine who lives relatively close by in Bristol, it's going to be nice to see a familiar face and enjoybanbadukt conversation during the day!

 

Amy

xx