Hello! Ok, so I'm actually finding at the moment that I have so much going on in my head I can't seem to crystallise my thoughts enough to make a lot of sense in my blog, so as a result I keep putting off writing it.  I do have news I would like to share though, especially as I am mostly blogging about home making, as my news concerns my home. Currently we rent a big beautiful stone house in a pretty pembrokeshire village, and I would say it pretty much fulfils every criteria I have for my perfect home. We have 4 enormous bedrooms, a massive vaulted loft space, an ENORMOUS sitting room with windows making up one whole wall, a dining room with fireplace, a big kitchen diner with a range cooker and utility room, a pantry and two bathrooms. Add to that lots of period features like deep skirting boards, picture rails, original sash windows and panelled oak doors, a cast iron bath  and original fireplace in the bedroom, and a beautiful orchard and walled garden at the back and you have what I have always considered would be my perfect home. The cherry on top is that when we moved in the place was freshly renovated and actually belongs to friends who allowed us to have a lot of input into the choice of fitted kitchen, flooring etc and who gave us a very long lease. So, all things considered, I hoped to be here a long long time.  But recently, the hubby has been quite unwell and I've been worrying that he is struggling with his workload. This is an expensive home to run and I hate that he has to work so much in order for us to be here. He has also recently started his own business treating lawns for weeds etc and because he is in the throes of building that up he has had to keep on his old job in construction to pay the bills, basically working 2 jobs. To me, this is madness. I'm just not prepared to sacrifice our time with hubby in order to have pretty sash windows and an orchard.  So we have reached the difficult decision as a family to move on. At first we looked at other private rentals, but the idea is to slash our expenses as low as possible and exchange a luxury home for time together...private rental just wouldn't achieve that goal being so expensive. So instead we opted to join the list for a council house. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we would do this; I hold my hands up and admit to being a total snob when it comes to social housing. But in actual fact, when I started to look I realised it's actually a pretty sweet option, the rent is super low, the houses well planned and built and energy efficient, and there is a level of security you can't get renting elsewhere. I have gradually begun to view this as an exciting challenge for our family, to make a warm welcoming home from something most would consider to be a sub standard house. But I truly believe a house is just a shell in which you live your life, and any place can feel wonderful if there is happiness and contentment among the ones living there.  So.... watch this space! I am super excited to blog about our new home once we find it, and share how we transform whatever we are given into something beautiful and appealing.  Any ideas about space efficient living and home makeovers are gratefully received!  With love
 Stephanie x