Saying goodbye to Miss Daisy’s Petals

I started laughing as I wrote the title for this final blog post, as some of you may be thinking “hasn’t this blog died already?”

That’s how absent I have been…

Well today is the day that I officially say Goodbye to Miss Daisy’s Petals.

Why? You may ask (or not)

I started this blog in 2013 when I first moved to Wales. I love to write as a form of expression and I wanted to document this huge journey I was embarking on. I wanted to share the lessons I was learning living in a new place alongside my experience of growing as a Christian and as a woman.

That was 10 years ago, and as you can imagine a lot has changed since my first blog post, and Miss Daisy’s Petals just no longer represents the Daisy I am today.

I think things were coming to an end around 2019/2020 and if you have been following this blog you would have noticed that I started to write less. I         started to focus more on Instagram and YouTube as I felt maybe more visuals is what Miss Daisy’s Petals needed. Looking back I think I was just delaying the inevitable because by 2021, I more or less abandoned all my platforms as I just couldn’t connect with Miss Daisy’s Petals anymore.

This blog website is extremely outdated (cringe), and in 2022 I began playing around with the idea of rebranding and revamping the blog. I even hopped onto Instagram a few times announcing my comeback, but I was never able to follow through.

By the end of 2022 a lot had changed and so many things came to an end.

• My singleness – I blogged a lot about singleness but I am married now! I married the most caring, honest and kind God-fearing man in July 2022. I shared a photo on my Insta stories to everyone’s surprise :)

My husband and I on our wedding day 💗

• I moved out of Wales! Literally on the 31st of December 2022. This was a HUGE change for me as I had lived in Wales for 10 years and it was the one place that truly had my heart. However I knew, even outside of getting married, that my time in Wales had to come to an end.

• Lastly, I experienced a very painful friendship breakup that was literally life changing. Life changing in a sense that it marked a turning point for me,  as I had to finally confront my avoidance, people pleasing, tendency to walk on egg shells and operate out of fear and anxiety. I know this sounds like a lot but this was my default and something drastic needed to happen to allow me to see it. The friendship breakup was incredibly difficult to go through and caused a blight on what was supposed to be a beautiful first few months of marriage.

The many endings of 2022 made me reflect on this blog, and I realised what Miss Daisy’s Petals needed wasn’t a rebrand, it needed to come to an end.

New beginnings

2023 is a new beginning for me and I want to fully embrace the newness of this season, and no longer hold onto the things that represent all that has ended.

Writing for this blog has been a tremendous blessing and I want to thank all who have taken the time to read my posts over the years and those who have supported by sharing, commenting and liking the blog posts. It’s not easy putting yourself out there on the internet but you have all been so positive and kind and I am so grateful!

What’s next?

I am still your girl! The journey continues and I will be making a comeback. There will be a new name, a new website and some new content! I am so excited to share this phase of my life with you.

Please sign up to my mailing list for details of the website launch, otherwise you can follow my Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or Facebook page (hurry, before the name changes) as I will be making announcements on there.

Goodbye Miss Daisy’s Petals…

You will be missed.

Last few months in Wales

…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Daisy ♥  

My go-to weekly self-care habits that are getting me through Covid lockdown 3.0

So, we are in another lockdown and I don’t know about you, but I am finding that these lockdowns (though needed) are really starting to take a toll on everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.

I didn’t do so well during the second lockdown, so with this third lockdown the main thing that is keeping me going is INTENTIONAL SELF CARE.

I think it is important to have different things to look forward to during the week that will make me feel happy, more relaxed or just add some variety to my day.

Here is my go-to weekly self-care list:

Note: I am very flexible so I don’t tie myself down to anything. I don’t do all of these things during one single week, but I choose my self-care activities based on my needs or how I am feeling (that in and of itself is self-care 😊 )

• Taking some time out (30 minutes) to read a book with a cup of herbal tea

• Catching up with family and friends whilst cooking/doing housework. (Trust me, time flies and your chores seem to get done faster when you’re catching up with someone)

• Super healthy food day (healthy eating is an everyday goal, but there are times when you go that extra mile to give your body that boost!

• Post-dinner dessert (I love desserts and sweet treats from time to time - with this one I make sure not to go overboard and still budget the dessert it into my daily calorie intake, as I am not trying to lose any fitness gains)

• Change to a fresh set of bed sheets or buy some new bedding (trust me fresh sheet takes your bedtime experience to whole new levels)

• Order some nice food (It’s nice to take a break from cooking sometimes and having it delivered is a big bonus!)

• Early night (sometimes just leave what you’re doing and get an early night, it can wait until tomorrow)

• Beauty night (face mask, bubble bath, lip scrubs etc.)

• Buy fresh flowers for the house (I buy them when they are reduced at the supermarket. Once you add that flower food they can last for weeks!)

• Journaling/gratitude (It can be so soothing to pour your heart out on paper and also make notes )

• Netflix documentary (honestly I have learnt so much about history,  politics, science etc. during this pandemic)

• Family zoom quiz night (download the app Kahoot…you’re welcome 😊)

• Praise hour (one hour to listen to music and express praise and gratitude to God)

• Exercise – both outdoors and indoors (If you’re not into exercise at all, at least walk 30 minutes a day – it will make a huge difference)

• Listen to business/motivation/self-development podcasts

• Candles – I have candles for different occasions (it’s so soothing having them burn in the background)

• Go for a walk and catch up on the phone with a friend who is also walking (This is me and Sophie’s go-to)

• Airplane mode/time off social media (including WhatsApp)

• Declutter a small space

• Play relaxing nature sounds (YouTube have tons of videos)

• Cup of herbal tea, warm blanket and a deep and meaningful conversation with a dear friend.

So those are some of the things I do during the week for self-care. 

I challenge you to add some self-care to your week; you will definitely see a difference!

If you already have a self-care routine, let me know some of your self-care habits.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missdaisyspetals 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missdaisyspetals

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/msdaisyspetals 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC649sTm6XTFaCCfNtLRS_-w? 

Miss Daisy's Petals is now on social media!

It's been just over 5 years blogging and its time to develop and grow!

I have decided to set up two social media accounts for this blog. So if you are on Facebook or Instagram you can like my page/follow me at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missdaisyspetals/

Instragram: @missdaisyspetals

There is so much I want to share with you and I am looking forward to the future. There are lots of exciting things to come from Miss Daisy's Petals!

Looking forward to connecting with you all.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

The Allotment Disaster

Some months ago, I blogged about my plans to start gardening, with the intentions of growing at home and also at the local allotment.  I started growing a few things at home and everything seemed to be going well until I visited the allotment and beheld this sight....

Weeds! Nothing but weeds, and their roots run deep! I think that day we realised just how much work needs to be done here before we can even consider planting any seeds! We need to uproot the weeds, restore the soil and also work on the paths around the beds to stop our weeds from getting into other peoples’ gardens.  That day I realised just how much damage can be caused from a few months of neglect and how hard and time consuming it will be to restore it back.  The whole allotment situation reminded me of Ezekiel 37. When Ezekiel was in vision and he beheld a valley of dry dead bones, he was asked if the bones can live, to which he responded “O Lord God thou Knowest”  (Ezekiel 37:3). To me this garden looked like a lost cause.

Later that day, I thought about the condition of the allotment and the amount of work that needs to be done and it caused me to look at my own heart. I know that there are many areas in my life that need to be worked on and it definitely feels like a “big job”! Sometimes I feel like I am wearing God’s patience thin, but at the same time he daily gives me tokens and evidences of the renewing work of Christ in my life.  Yes, it definitely feels like a big job and sometimes a hopeless cause, but I know that my God never slumbers nor sleeps. He longs to see the heart renewed, and the work that he has begun in all of us, he is faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6), if we do our part and cooperate with him. 

So we will press forward with the work that needs to be done at the allotment, even if it means we don’t get to plant there this year. We will work hard to restore things back to the way they should be, not by power, nor by might but by his spirit! (Zechariah 4:6)

Lord, please help us to restore this garden even as you restore our hearts…

Love, your girl forever

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

P.S things are growing really well at home, I will post some pictures soon xxx

Springtime and seedlings

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over [and] gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] is come… 

Songs of Solomon 2:11-12

Yes, spring time has arrived which means growing session has begun in the UK! I'm so excited as this is my first time starting a garden on my own. I know it won't be completely perfect and I will make some mistakes but I know there's going to be lots to learn and experience. 

Starting out

I will be growing some food at home and also at the 7 years plenty allotment nearby. (we've called it that it actually has a completely different name hehe!). This year I will attempt to grow:

Romain lettuce

Spinach 

Swiss Card

Carrots

Potatoes 

Beetroot 

Bell peppers

Tomatoes

Onions 

Garlic

Strawberries 

Coriander 

Mint

Basil 

Rosemary 

Thyme 

It may seem like I'm growing way too much as a first time gardener, but believe me, these are actually my staples! Except Strawberries, I love them but I find they are expensive to buy and spoil very quickly so I want to see if it's more cost effective to grow them. I won't be growing in huge quantities but I want to see what things work and what things don't. 

For those of you who are wondering why I am growing food, I think growing your own food is healthier, cheaper and more rewarding! Gardening itself is very good for your physical health as it is very hands on and our bodies benefit from the physical exercise, fresh air and being in nature.  In addition to the physical benefits, it also has spiritual benefits.  The bible often talks about agriculture and uses it as an illustration of our growth in Christ, our reception of his word etc. He uses the natural to illustrate the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15).I'm excited to see how gardening will impact my walk with God, and I'm looking forward to all the object lessons I will learn as I turn the soil, water plants, weed the garden, plant seeds, harvest crops etc . I'm longing to see how he will break up the fallow ground and cultivate the garden beds of my own heart. 

I hope to keep you updated on how the garden is going and to share some of the different things I am learning, both the natural and spiritual, so please stay tuned.

Please feel free to share any of your gardening tips with this first time gardener :-)

First seedlings tray

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat…Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places…

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Love, your girl forever

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

I’ve moved house by the way…

Sorry! I’ve been so busy I forgot to mention it.

The decision to move house came because I wanted to be closer to work. Though Llangammarch Wells was a dream location (see pictures here http://missdaisyspetals.blogspot.com/2013/03/goodbye-ammanford-hello-llangammarch.html and http://missdaisyspetals.blogspot.com/2013/03/snow-day.html ) my journey to work was 1hour and 20 minutes each way, and as you can imagine doing this 5 days a week was incredibly exhausting and also very costly. I also moved house because I wanted to experience having my own home as a single person and to learn how to build and run a home.

So in September I traded the farm lands of Lllangammarch Wells for the grass lands of Tonna, God has blessed me with a bungalow in this quiet village. Though I live in a bungalow I still have a fair amount of stairs, my house is up on a hill so there are steps leading up to my house (which is great fun when I come home with bags of shopping) and more steps to get to my garden.  I haven’t yet explored the area fully but according to a few maps I’ve looked at there are some amazing walks and beautiful waterfalls close by.

When I get a chance I will upload some pictures of the house/area for you to look at. Till then here’s a little sneak peek.

Side view 

Don’t be a stranger, come visit sometime.

My mum bought me these beautiful flowers for my new home x

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

August

It’s been a while hasn't it?

I think August 2013 will remain written in the history books of my mind for years to come as a very significant moment in time…So much happened in August. This month consisted of joy, love and happiness as well as loss, grief and pain. However I am happy to say now, that God‘s name has been glorified as it always is when His perfect will has been accomplished. I have learnt so much in August and with learning coming sharing. Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting backdated posts from July and August as well as posts documenting current things.

Speak soon!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

Love, your girl forever,

 ♥ Miss Daisy  ♥