Counting my blessings

I've definitely been in a bit of a funk lately. A combination of the January blues, not enough sleep, and not enough shed-time - yes, shed-time is a recognised and legitimate cure for the Jo-blues in our household! There's not much that can be done about the January blues apart from work through them, remind yourself that you have a lot to be thankful for and wait for February! The sleep issue, well, the sensible thing is to get more sleep, but unfortunately as B was ill last week and I still had deadlines to meet, the only time I could work was at night. I know I'm not alone, it's what all work-at-home mums have to do, at least some of the time, and I know that I am really fortunate to have the amount of work time that I do - which brings me on to the other reason for my funk - guilt! How on earth could I be worrying about deadlines and wanting to get into the shed when my baby was ill?!

Anyway, the funk is on it's way out (and about time too T would say!), February is nearly here, the birds will start singing again soon, so I think I'll count my blessings (in no particular order)

• I have a wonderfully supportive family who don't think it strange at all that I work in a shed and hammer metal, and usually ooh and aah when I show them something that I've just designed.
• T's job is changing and he is already looking less stressed and sleeping better as a result.
• B is a cute, friendly, cheerful (usually!), healthy, funny little boy who knows the difference between knitting and crochet as well as between diesel and steam engines and his chicken pox spots are nearly gone. Thank you for the best wishes you sent!
  
• The rest of my family are generally happy and healthy.
• I love my job! And I love the fact that I can pass my skills and ideas on to others through my classes and magazines - and isn't it amazing to actually get paid for doing what you love?!
• I have decided at last to get a cleaner in once a week. I've realised that I can't do everything, and that the business can pay for her as I have clients visiting the house. I've been umming and aahing about this for nearly two years, and finally the realisation that I could be spending more of my free time with B and T rather than frantically cleaning up after them overcame the guilt at paying someone else to do 'my work'.
• I had a lovely morning looking after my God-daughter Gracie on Thursday while T and her mummy and daddy packed up the van for their move. I'm trying to think of their move as a blessing too as it's a much much nicer area......might take me a while though :(
• My friend Helen has come home from Texas and she and her husband will be moving down south sometime this year - hurray! I will phone you this weekend Hellie, I promise!
• My business is growing and thriving - people actually like and buy my work! Wow! You think I would have got used to that by now, but I don't think I ever will.
  
• T actually tidied up his side of the bedroom this week - I think it may have had something to do with the fact I told him that the cleaner wouldn't tidy up his dirty clothes. He is wonderful in many ways, but is not the tidiest person in the world. He would say I'm not either but in my defence things are only left out if I'm actually working on them, and I put my washing in the basket.

I could go on, but you'd only get bored, and just listing those has already made me feel so much better!