Putting A Spring In My Step

It may be early March (very early… as in, the 1st) but I am fully ready to dive into Spring, frolic even, if you will! The peonies, the homemade lemonade and the long pretty walks in even prettier dresses.

It has felt like a long, dark winter, so I’m investing  time, effort and thought into some Spring favourites that bring me joy.

Here’s 13 things that are bringing my soul some sunshine:

1. Sunshine. As in, actual sunshine. The moment I see a glimmer of the stuff – I’m in it. Whether I’m bundling us out of the door when the rays appear or curling up with a book as it streams through the windows: I am there.
2. Fresh white cotton sheets like these are bringing me intense pleasure these days. I don’t know anybody who is immune from the fresh-sheet feeling, and I’m here for it. A few years ago I realised that the things that give me a thrill these days are usually homely … like being able to hang the sheets on the line, watching them billow as the sun does it’s work. Ah, how a decade can change you!
3. Early nights! Well, I’m trying. Am I the only woman who feeling like they’re constantly exhausted because they have to claw a little alone/couple time whenever they can… and by the time housework is done and the children have relinquished their grip on consciousness – it’s 1am?! But I am trying. I want to be in bed earlier to start enjoying the earlier sunrise… maybe even a little yoga? I dare to dream!
4. Fresh flowers. Here, there and everywhere. There isn’t a surface of my home that doesn’t have daffodils on it right now. The jam jars/jugs/milk bottles have really found their life’s purpose in recent weeks! I have also treated myself to these gorgeous blooms for the table. It’s highly unlikely that anybody else in this house will notice them – but it’s one of those things that they notice when I stop doing it. We always eat meals as a family so the table feels like the heart of it all.
5. Reading lighter books. I’m currently burying my nose in this one whenever the sun streams into the cat’s favourite napping spots. He’ll usually share. I bought it entirely for the front cover and I’m not even ashamed. I read a lot of classics and true crime throughout the chilly seasons, but they started to feel quite heavy. I really notice what a difference the content I consume makes to my frame of mind. Adding some comedy/romance to my Spring favourites is definitely lightening my mood! I could share my to-read pile in a post if that’s something you’re interested in?! Let me know in the comments!
6. Cooking up fresh seasonal vegetables. There is finally some colour returning to the markets (not that several months of potatoes weren’t beautiful..) and I’m looking forward to stocking up each week. The more colourful the fruit/vegetable the higher it is in antioxidants after all – and my body is craving some goodness. And Easter eggs, if I’m honest… but life’s about balance after all.
7. Decluttering. Oh I am obsessed! We just have so much STUFF that we accumulate during the winter. I suspect Christmas is to blame, we seem to have every little thing down to the cracker toys stashed away. Either that, or our belongings are breeding. Like a woman possessed, I have purged our entire loft, our closets, the toy boxes … next on my list is the kitchen. It’s astonishing the difference it makes. I feel like I can take deep breaths now, because there’s space. Cleaning the house suddenly doesn’t feel like an epic task, and I’m not overwhelmed by something I can’t quite put my finger on. I’ve actually become quite ruthless about it: If it hasn’t been worn frequently in the last year, it goes. If it hasn’t been played with in the last month: it goes. If it doesn’t bring me joy or make my life a good deal easier: it goes. (*The exception is baby clothes. Which is probably a little ridiculous as they aren’t being used. But we all have our thing. Quite a few of them are in the loft, but over half of them are en route to the charity shop!
8. Filling my closet with warm weather clothes. I definitely think less is more, and invest in quality pieces that go together, I can dress up and down, and I will wear to death. I found some favourite Spring dresses like this one and this one, will live in these sandals and these Birkenstocks, and have stocked up on several pairs of these jeans, literally four pairs of the same style! (The high waist doesn’t aggravate my c-section scar and leaves me safe in the knowledge that my underwear/bum isn’t on display when I have to shimmy up the soft-play.) I’m still keeping a few chunky knits to hand though, because I live in England.
9. Mixing up my makeup. I will do a Spring makeup post, as I used to be a makeup artist and playing around with different products is just enjoyable for me and makes me feel good. Time to ditch the berry tones and find something lighter and brighter. My easiest change is switching to my pot rouge to Fresh Melon for Spring & Summer – it changes the whole look. It leaves me ready for bouncy curls, sun on my shoulders and sand between my toes.
10. Turning over the vegetable patch. My littlest boy, Killian, has lovingly renamed my raised vegetable bed his ‘Mud Kitchen Quarry’. I watch him ferrying buckets of high-quality compost out of it only to bake pies down the other end of the garden… it hurts. But is also quite sweet. Still, the time has come to find him another quarry and reclaim that land for the cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and aubergines.
11. Getting the children’s Spring books down from the loft. This is possibly my favourite and I will be posting our Spring favourites later in the week!
12. Walking into a room that smells homely and fresh. I will never understand why some people only break out candles in the Autumn… they’re so lovely to have lit around the house all year round, as long as you play around with your scents. My personal favourite is  this Sandalwood Rose one, not least because of the beautiful jar. Although, I have just discovered this Sun-dried Linen  one have been having an affair with it ever since.
13. Having fruit for breakfast. Having a stack of pancakes underneath is entirely optional but highly recommended.

Excitement for these things might make me sound very 32, but here’s the thing:

My thirties have been a very comfortable fit for me so far, so I’m embracing them wholeheartedly. Simple details and slow living will do me nicely.

What’re your Spring favourites? Let me know in the comments x