Not a Whole Lot of Monstering Going On

For a blog entitled ‘Mistress of Monsters’, there has been a distinct lack of monster action just lately. Life has taken over somewhat and my monstering activities have been thin on the ground to say the least.

I now get married in nine weeks, and am throwing in a move of house in the meantime for good measure. Two of the most stressful things you can undertake within a month of each other. I’ve had the odd little massive breakdown in the last couple of weeks with the thought of everything that needs to be done. Even though it is all amazingly good stuff that I have to look forward to, that doesn’t stop me getting a little bit wound up about it. I basically just feel completely overwhelmed by the big changes coming up, and by how much work is involved in preparing for them. I know what you’re thinking; ‘Man up and get on with it’, and you’re probably right, but for now…I want my Mummy.

As luck would have it, Mummy monster is coming to visit tomorrow and I’m sure that after a bit of tea and sympathy, I will be feeling a lot more capable and able to enjoy the next couple of months, instead of regarding them with mild terror.

What it all boils down to is that in 10 weeks, I will be wed to my marvellous Mr Monster, and living with him and our two gorgeous cats in a beautiful house with a spectacular garden. That’s not a bad lot in life. I knew from very early on with the Mr that he was the man I was going to marry, and in getting so stressed about everything I start to pick fights and behave like a very silly person. I don’t want that. What I want is to grow flowers, make monsters, and care for my family. It will be a little bit of hard work to get there, but get there we will. Once we do, I promise to make you some more monsters!

All Grown Up

Our recent enforced house-hunt is over. Mr Monster and I make a pretty good team which was demonstrated in the slick way in which we found our next home. I’m currently on two weeks annual leave so used my time to scope out promising places while the Mr was at work, and arranging for him to see them in the evenings.

We seem to have found ourselves a rather gorgeous three bedroom semi-detached house and it all feels terribly grown-up. I have to keep reminding myself that I am, in fact, thirty years old and getting married. I think I qualify as an adult but having only lived in flats since leaving home in 2002, I must admit that I found the idea of taking on a ‘family’ home quite daunting.

When I went to see the house with an impartial friend as a second pair of eyes, I knew it was perfect. Clean, newly decorated, spacious, everything we need in a new home. However, I found myself making every excuse under the sun as to why it was no good for us. Too big, needs too much furniture, a front garden to tend, you name it…but deep down it felt like home.

It took me quite a few hours of thrashing out the pros and cons over a couple of glasses of wine with my friend to eventually figure out that it was the one. Mr Monster managed to see it briefly that evening and rang me immediately to say that he felt it was perfect. Funnily enough, he’s much more comfortable than I am with the idea of moving into the house in which we will, in all likelihood be raising a family. We put down a holding deposit straight away and provided that everything goes well with the paperwork, we move in on the 8th September.

We’ve already worked out how to divide up the bedrooms for the time-being. I am very pleased to say that I’m lucky enough to be gifted with the master bedroom as a craftroom, whilst Mr Monster is taking the smallest room as his ‘Man-cave’, complete with Xbox and other manly type things. We have a beautiful garden, a sunny living room, and an off-road parking space so I don’t have to attempt to parallel park which has never been my strong point.

So, crisis averted. We may have been forced to move well before we felt ready, and at a very inconvenient time, but it looks as if it is all turning out for the best. We get a marital home in which we can settle, expand, and live happily ever after, which is lets face it, the only thing we really need.

The House-hunting Blues

I just got home from my first round of house viewings since receiving ‘The Letter’, and I feel the need to spill my guts all over your computer screen so do excuse me while I vent.

Viewing flats and house is one of my favourite things to do…when they are for someone else. I love poking around properties, seeing potential in every room and imagining what it might be like to live there. House-hunting for myself however has to be one of the most stressful tasks I can think of, and I can feel the pressure getting to me already. I saw three horrible, dingy little places today which as soon as I walked in to, I wanted to walk straight back out. There was nothing about them which screamed ‘home’ to me, and I only zoomed around them out of courtesy to the nice young estate agent who had driven me there.

Then however, we came to a house which I could feel myself falling in love with as soon as we walked through the front door. A lovely, well presented two-up, two-down with a little courtyard garden, and all within our budget. It felt like mine as I wandered round, and I just didn’t want to leave. So what did I do? I started to PANIC!

I panicked that maybe Mr Monster won’t like it, I panicked that they won’t allow us to have our cats there, but most of all, I panicked that someone else would snap it up before we can. I know what people always say about ‘what will be will be’, and that was certainly true of our current flat. We knew we had to have it as soon as we crossed the threshold, but our interest in it was rejected in favour of a group of sharers. Two days later however, we received a call telling us that the sharers had fallen through and we could take it if we were still interested. Fate?

So yes, I know that things aren’t always cut and dried and that we will be successful in the case of whichever property is meant to be, but that doesn’t stop me worrying. I guess really, that’s what it boils down to; I’m a worrier. I worry about everything working out for me, Mr Monster and our little cat family. Worry isn’t always a bad thing. I learnt long ago how to separate worry into ‘productive worry’ and ‘unproductive worry’. To let the unproductive worry go, and to harness the productive worry to get things sorted out. That is what gives me the energy to pound the pavement between countless estate agents in the rain and to trawl online property sites for hours on end.

When it comes to the crunch, I am determined that this situation in which we have found ourselves should be a positive one. That it should be the little shove which we need to find out marital home. A house we can make our own and start the new chapter of our time together. It might take time but I will not give up, I will not compromise, and above all, I will not PANIC!

I leave you with an inspirational anti-worry song by my favourite band of all time, Nizlopi. A great anthem for those of us with busy brains to remind us to take it easy. Enjoy.

Moving On Up

Two days ago, Mr Monster and I got a letter informing us that our flat has been sold and we have to be out by Sept 9th, less than a month before our wedding day.

We were planning to move on in the near future anyway. Our home is beautiful, but not in the nicest area, with no outdoor space. We long for a house rather than a flat, with stairs and a pretty garden. We were casually looking around but had no plans to move until the wedding was all done and dusted. Sometime though, life gives you a bit of a shove. Since getting the news I have gone through every emotion in the book. From resignation, to grief, to excitement.  I think the main problem I have with the situation is that my vision of the next three months has shifted. Every bride surely visualises the run-up to her wedding, and in my mind’s eye I had a clear picture of how I hoped things would be. Since ‘The Letter’ though, my bridal journey is shrouded in the mist of uncertainty. I know that we will be fine, that we will cope with the move, and that we will find a perfect little home to start our married life, but I can’t help but feel a little like the rug has ben pulled out from under my feet, plonking me unceremoniously on my backside. I also feel that having taken on so much ‘D.I.Y’ for the wedding, I’m worried that my focus will be taken away from crafting beautiful things for the day whilst I’m wrapped up in packing boxes and shifting books.

I worry about our two lovely cats. When we moved into our current flat, we figured we’d be staying there until we could afford a house of our own, so having pets wouldn’t be a problem. Now however we are faced with the task of finding an understanding landlord who will allow us to move in with our little babies. A friend I chatted to today struck on a great idea of compiling them each a C.V. Complete with picture, hobbies, like and dislikes, to charm potential landlords and tug at the old heartstrings. Perfect! Always a solution to every problem.

In all, the emotion I want to focus on is that of excitement. Our first flat together has been a wonderful home, full of happy times blossoming romance, proposals and plans for the future, but it is right for us to be moving on. Not only that, but it also reminds us of how lucky we are to have such good friends. Offers of help with the move have been gratefully received, and one of my bridesmaids was on the phone to me as soon as she got wind of the news to make sure that I wasn’t having a breakdown. Nice to know that people are looking out for us.

I’m sure that Mr Monster and I will find a place suitable to start our life together. We have so many adventures on the horizon so why not get cracking with this one. Onwards and upwards it is.

Never Fear, The Mistress is Back

Hello there fabric fans. After moving house last week Mr Monster and I are now all moved in and the internet is up and running so I can finally show you all the exciting things I have been up to recently.

Firstly, the results of project Babygro are in and I am thrilled with them. Fi…..if you are reading this I am sooooooo sorry that I haven’t sent them yet. proper scatter brain at the moment. Here are the little monsters for the little monsters!

Once I’m all settled and totally moved I am going to set this up as a little business so spread the word!