Oh Joy !

Oh Joy !

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in. Well, you certainly knew where to find me! And for the forseeable future, right? Oh Joy.

But despite all the Pandemic panic once again, there is a great deal for me to be grateful for, and I must remind myself of that daily. These two little fellas for a start.

They bring an innocence and energy into the home, like fresh air, and all bad, sad thoughts are exorcised as soon as they appear.

Their playful and oh-so-cute antics simply capture me, enrapture me – and everything else is forgotten, albeit for a short while. These two beautiful little charmers give us such joy.

And Mum and Dad. After the SHAC Shac I went over to spend the afternoon with them. Talked and listened and laughed. How grateful I am to live so close to them and have such a good friendship with them. My kids may live thousands of miles away, BUT my parents are here.

The gratitude list gets longer and longer when I stop and consider. It’s so easy to get sucked into the gloom, fear and rebellion out there, but what’s the point of being gloomy, fearful or judgemental? Serves no purpose.

And so. I stay close to home, I keep it in the day, and I try to do the next right thing. Don’t always get it right, in fact I often get it wrong, but I try all the same.

I’m also grateful to be a crafter. There’s so much to do! There just aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things I want to make and try!

So Yes. Joy. Deep Joy actually.

Here’s a little Joyful Step by step to celebrate, using one of our O Framers on Amazonia Designer Card.

Have a think. Think of one thing you are grateful for. Then think of 3 more things you are grateful for. That’s 4. Think of one more. That’s 5 things. You see, it’s all a question of perspective. And an attitude of gratitude will always improve your spirits.

Love and hugs,

Barb xxx

12 thoughts on “Oh Joy !

  1. once again a great weekend of shows, Barbara. So lovely to see these stamps out again – am feeling inspired and must go and hunt mine down (I know I’ve got some of them somewhere!)
    This lockdown is going to be tough for everyone – thank goodness we can Stay Home and Craft with the Clarity team. Don’t lose sight of how much support what you do provides for so many people. Blessings, Deborah

  2. We all have so much to be grateful for, Barb. I’ll have to do a bit of counting to five tomorrow – three online meetings! I may even need to count to 10!!!! Lol. Glad you had a good day with your mum and dad. Enjoy the kittens tonight. Lots of love, Hxx

  3. that would be YOU, YOU and YOU…. oh and my husband, cat and neighbours. Not much family left these days!! It was lovely to see these classic stamps – they will never go out of style.
    Love
    Maggie (Bendy Yorkite)

  4. Those little rascals certainly seem to make you happy. They are cute.
    Once again I got to the end of my comment and this ********* computer chucked me out so trying again.
    I have so much to be grateful for. OK, some things get me down but it doesn’t last long. I have a grouse, make a coffee, see my husband’s cheeky grin (my rants seem to amuse him!!!) and all is well again. I count my blessings every day.
    Enjoyed the shows this weekend and am looking forward to the Pergamano show.
    Stay safe. 🍒

  5. Our two, Mikey and Sally, fur babes, Dusty and Dolly, 2 dogs next door, ooh our lodger Gio, pure white cat he is, he seems to have gone home tonight! That’s 5 straight off ! X

  6. Hi Barbara

    Lots to be grateful for 1 of my best mates moved across the road from us when we moved to Somerset in January and 3 weeks ago another friend moved in next door with her mum so this means my mum now has some company her own age. They are both healthy at 88 and 92 so very grateful for this in the present climate. Our 2 boys are now a lot older than Erik and Ragnar but at this moment in time play fighting on the landing so late night tonight 😂 never underestimate the joy you bring to peoples lives without you and Dave’s efforts at clarity along with your team there would a lots of people struggling during this time. So a big thank you from us 👍

  7. Hi Barb,
    Great shows yesterday and today. Love the framer stamps and good to see them getting an outing again. Tina’s Christmas stamps have certainly transferred from Groovi to stamps brilliantly too – just had to have them! The one thing i am grateful for that I can think of straight away is that I got my knee operation done because I don’t think there would be much chance of getting it done now for a while!!! I am also grateful that I have a loving ,caring husband ,a lovely sister and brother in law, some lovely friends and that my shadow Scamp has made a full recovery after her fall two weeks ago, especially as we were told that she might have to be put down because of her age! Of course there is always Clarity too ( although not sure my bank manager would agree!!) . Love the two Vikings, they are just so cute! Love and hugs Alison xxx

  8. Yes, we should all count our blessings and having crafting to take us away from all the misery and gloom is a blessing Barbara. Those sweet kittens bring an innocent joy to all around them and that has to be uplifting and special. Glad you had a good chat with your Mum and Dad…making happy memories. x

  9. What Joy we have in crafting Barbara and my first blessing is that I found the Shack. It has given me many happy distracted hours in the first lockdown and it will continue, so you Barbara are a big blessing. I have so many blessings (won’t list them here) so thank you for nudging me into a positive outlook instead of negative

  10. Hello Barb, this morning in the lead up to the start of breakfast on BBC1, they had the cutest photos of Cats/Kittens and straight away I thought of you and your little fur babies. I have a lot to be grateful for, and one of those things is craft and especially your good self and Clarity, a real blessing during the horrible times we are currently in. My heart goes out to the people affected by the shooting in Vienna last night. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

  11. So true Barb- my first blessing has to be that I have still got my husband, thanks to the skill of doctors and nurses, who brought him back to life 2 years ago. Number 2 has to be living in such a great community, here in Ledbury. We went to a local shop this morning to buy a fridge/freezer and they delivered it just under an hour later. Good friends and neighbours here, who want to help us in lockdown. Number 4, having found the Clarity Community, which has led to meeting some very lovely people, including yourself Barbara! Number 5 is the love of family and friends.
    So glad that you could spend some special time with your parents today Barb. Stay safe everyone, hugs, Gilly x

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