Two reasons for blogging today, that come together in some snowflakes.
I was contacted last week by the HomeStart UK charity, asking if I’d give a mention to their Snowflake Appeal and make some crocheted snowflakes for their campaign.
They didn’t know that just the mention of HomeStart sends me into a loopy emotional state and I only wish I’d known about their campaign a earlier, so I could have done more.
But today I’m making 3 crocheted snowflakes, one on behalf of each of my kiddies.
HomeStart helped us. I don’t want this to be one of those blog posts, but I was very sick during all three of my pregnancies. Not quite sick enough to be hospitalised, but enough to be unable to function physically or mentally, or even talk, for the whole nine months. (It wasn’t until the 2nd trimester of my third pregnancy that I heard the word ‘hyperemesis’ from a midwife and I never knew there were drugs that can help.) I spent the whole miserable time, each time, being told that everyone feels a bit sick, and that I should eat ginger or a digestive biscuit. And feeling I was a failure for not being able to, and for not feeling better. The hardly-concealed bafflement and irritation from most of my friends and family still hurts.
I realise I am very lucky to have had pregnancies and labours that were trouble-free for my babies, and the sickness went away, instantly, like a switch was flicked, as soon as I was delivered.
Anyway, the hardest thing to take was the effect on my family – not being able to talk to your children for nine months, not being able to play with them, not being able to tidy their rooms for them… awful.
So when during my last pregnancy HomeStart UK sent a woman, just to be with my elder two children, to play with them and talk to them, for a couple of hours a week, it was the only bright spot in our lives.
She was just a woman, she did nothing out of the ordinary, but for us, it was a weekly miracle. She ignored the state of the house, she didn’t expect me to chat, she just played with the children. And for that I will be grateful for ever. And I will always do what I can to support HomeStart.
Do visit their Snowflake Appeal page for more information, to donate, or just share their story.
Get the crochet pattern for the snowflakes on LoveCrochet’s site where you can see Kirstie Allsopp making hers – but hurry, you need to send them in by 16th November!
#MakingWinter
The second reason for blogging about these snowflakes today is to trumpet the delights of #makingwinter.
The brainchild of the tireless Emma Mitchell (@silverpebble) – who is like my creative blogging guru – #makingwinter (#making_winter on Instagram) is a growing network of blog posts, tweets and pictures wringing the joy from the muddy puddles and grey skies of the colder months. It’s like getting a hug from a big mug of hot chocolate that’s wearing an aran jumper.
Visit the Making Winter Blog Hop to see a huddle of other #makingwinter blog posts to wander through and brighten up these dark November evenings.
Share your own wintry successes on Twitter and Instagram.
