Karan's Craft Corner

It's Been A While...

2011-03-15T22:21:00.002Z

Yes, folks, it's been a while since I last put finger to keyboard to do a Blog post, partly due to being busy and running out of time, as the days keep flying past (who can believe it's the middle of March already???!!! Not me, that's for sure) and also because the blogging mojo went awol for a while. Still, it's better it was the blogging and NOT the stitching mojo - right? :0)

OK, so where do I start? Hhhhhmmm... first off I have to show you all the lovely belated half of the Christmas gift I received from Barb - only belated due to the weather and poor Barb's ill health preventing her from getting and sending them. They were well worth the wait, I can tell you - lookit the pretty wrapping in my favourite colour:

Inisde were these gorgeous goodies:

Barb tells me that the bag was printed by one of the ladies who is on a dig that she told me about some time ago. The image is of a Roman torq which was once worn by a Roman lady - this is much more vivid in colour than my pic shows. There were also some Piecemaker needles for me to try, now I've found my missing mojo. LOL The card is so pretty and looks great next to my Kwan Yin statue. Thank you again Barb, I love them - you know my tastes so well. :0)

Now let me cast my mind back again and try and remember what else I've been up to. Well, I made a stack of cards, ready for the Birthday Thread Exchange that I joined over at Needlecraft Haven... but I can only show you the ones that have been sent. There were two birthdays in February, one for Sheila:

and one for Kathy:

No more of those until April now. Though I did take part in the NH Forum's Sweet Feet Sock Exchange, with opening and reveal being on St Valentine's Day.. and that was alot of fun. Unfortunately I got a bit previous and managed to delete the pics I took of the socks I sent to Jaclyn (no blog, as far as I know)... but here's a pic of the accompanying card I sent to her:

Here's a pic of the lovely card, thread and fab pair of socks I received from Lindsay:

Another pic I'd managed to delete - thank goodness it was uploaded to my Webshots Album! I enjoyed this exchange so much it would be great to do it again some time (Hint! Hint! LOL)

I did make some other cards but this is going to be a pretty pic intensive post as it is, so I won't post them - but if you're interested.... or just plain nosey and need to know (like me LOL), then you can see them in my Webshots Album.

It's good to report that the stitching mojo has stayed around - and that's another reason for the lack of blogging. There are only so many hours in a day and any spare time has seen me sat in my favourite armchair, plying my needle. I've been so keen I've joined the Monthly Challenge at NH Forum and a number of SAL's, as well as stitching gifts (like the Polar Bear and Tiger) just because I want to. It's been a reasonably productive year so far. :0)

First item for your delectation is the January Challenge piece:

Design: Petit Chat, internet freebie

Designer: Tralala - Des Filles et une Aiguille

Fabric: Zweigart 28ct Brittney, Antique White

Threads: Dragon Floss, Barrels of Laughter (blues); Carrie's Creation, Rose

Finish: Pinkeep style Scissor Keep

I had wanted to finish this as a cube (it would have been a first for me) but the polystyrene stuff I'd been hoarding had disappeared and I couldn't find any foam shapes online any bigger than 2cm sq, so this didn't get finished in time to go in the album... in fact I only got around to finishing it this month, after doing the finishing on the February Challenge piece. It took that to get the cube finish out of my head and give an alternative I was going to be happy to do. LOL

Then I finally got around to stitching a piece that was a previous Monthly Challenge on JA/S&S Forum.. it had guilt tripped me for long enough:

Design: Mr Penguinee, internet freebie

Designer: Mary Olson and Candy Scott of The Work Basket

Fabric: Zweigart 32ct, White

Thread: Carrie's Creation, Raven

Finish: good old Pinkeep

It came out quite a bit bigger than anticipated, so there was only just enough of the thread to complete it (anyone know where I can buy Carrie's threads from in the UK, please?). It was lovely to add another design to the finished pile though. And soon after that followed the NH Forum's February Challenge piece:

Design: Love, internet freebie

Designer: The Stitcherhood

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct Jobelan, Ice Ltd Ed

Thread: Carrie's Creations, Wedgwood

Finish: Pinkeep style Scissor Case

Now this one was a must stitch and I knew immediately what to use and which finish to do. Those are my Ann scissors, bought because I loved the colour and due to them having the same name as my Mum, now in Spirit... so now my Ann scissors are wrapped in Love. :0) Then I had a rare sleepless session one night so, instead of tossing and turning and disturbing DH (who had to go to work the following day and wouldn't have thanked me), I headed downstairs and grabbed a small project from my stitchy bag.... and got it fully completed. That was my January Christmas ornie:

Design: Robin and Holly

Designer: unknown, pullout from a magazine

Fabric: 28ct Brittney, Antique White

Threads: DMC oddments from my scrap box

Finish: Tuck Ornie (pre-finished tuck pillow)

Another pic I've managed to delete.... thank goodness for my Webshots Album! The tuck pillow was a pre-finished bargain from that well known auction site... wish I could find a few more of these, as this type of finishing is beyond me at the moment - and it's sooo quick! LOL

In between some of the smaller pieces I'd been stitching away at my piece for the NH Forum's Quaker SAL, Quaker Winter Slumber by Midnight Stitching. It went from this, which I started on the 6th of February:

To this, towards the end of February:

But soon became the first Happy Dance of March:

Design: Quaker Winter's Slumber #020

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: 32ct opalescent Lugana, Wind (unknown make)

Thread: Thai silk, Navy - very fine, stitched 2 over 1

Finish: to be finished as a Bellpull

The pic makes the fabric look a bit pink but it's all a greyish blue, very wintery... and very sparkly. There wasn't much sunshine when I took the pic, so it's not come out that well. This was an absolute joy to stitch and I'd love to do the other seasons at some point. The chart will be winging it's way to Tina (no blog) soon - hope she enjoys stitching this as much as I did. :0)

It was then time to choose a new project. Clare is running a Prairie Schooler SAL on her Forum, Needlecraft Haven, and it was impossible to resist.... especially as it gave me an excuse to buy a gorgeous piece of sparkly fabric for it. Yes, that MS piece has set off a new love for opalescents... why have I not tried these before?! So here's the small start made:

Can you tell what it is yet? ROFL For those folks that aren't members of NH: I shall torment you a little longer with this one and only tell you that the fabric is Polstitches 32ct opalescent, Mummies Curse. Eheheh.

Also on the cards is another new start: Sampler au Bouquets by Jardin Prive. It was too late to join the SAL blog, so some of the memberss over at NH Forum are having a SAL with this. I've opted to stitch all three designs as one piece and am eagerly awaiting the release of part III this month. The NH SAL starts today (Tuesday 15th) and it's a "go at your own pace" one, so no pressure, for anyone that might be interested. Still waiting in the wings is my Enchanted piece, for the Carriage House Samplings SAL (another NH activity), but I don't have a suitable size of scroll frame for it at the moment. I could use a Siesta Bar Frame but I do not want to use drawing pins to attach this fabric to the frame and risk damaging it.... especially as I was a bit frugal on the extra for framing/edging. I can't help it - it's the Yorkshire blood in me. LOL ;0)

Oh, I nearly forgot! Whilst I was in a finishing mood I dug out an ornie I stitched back in 2009 and completed it - yes, it's taken me this long to get around to it *blush*. Here's the result of that:

Design: Holly Reindeer, internet freebie

Designer: Sharon Bennett, Daffycat

Fabric: 32ct linen, Mocha (unknown make)

Threads: Carrie's Creations, Buffalo Fur and Frosty Pine; DMC: 498

Finish: Pinkeep style Ornie

Many thanks Sharon - I love these little reindeer and it was another lovely piece to stitch... I just need to be in the right mood for finishing.... and it took a while *blushing again* Right, I think that's all the stitchy bits up-to-date now. Phew!

So what else has been keeping me busy? Lots of fun over at the NH Forum for one thing.... and my home. Yes, DH finally realised that the bathroom and kitchen need a total overhaul, so we've been planning and choosing what's wanted and getting quotes. The bathroom suite and a plumber to fit it have been chosen - he'll hopefully be starting in April (unfortunately that was the earliest he could fit us in, as he's popular). The kitchen maker/fitter has been chosen and we'll be in the process of finalising everything for that soon. The bulk of the waterpipe trench has now been backfilled and some of the slabs have been relaid... that's an ongoing job, as the weather doesn't always play ball when we have a free weekend to do jobs. I booked our summer holiday (vacation) - the same cottage we've stayed in the last couple of years... looking forward to recharging my batteries in my favourite place. :0)

DH and DS are still busy with the theatre stuff. DS has a part in the May production, Jekyll & Hyde, and DH is Stage Manager - he's popular for that job, as he gets everything and everyone organised well in advance, so everyone knows what they're meant to be doing and when. I shall probably be going to the performance... another solo seat at the back. LOL

I've been continuing with Development Circle meetings... but I don't know for how much longer, as one of the ladies has just dropped out. It has never been a large group anyway, so every member counts, and we suspect that it won't be long before a second member drops out - if that happens it won't be viable any longer. I shall be gutted if/when it does fold.... but I know that these things always happen for a reason... and when one door closes, another one invariably opens. I just have to be patient and see what the Universe has in store for me. :0) One door that has opened already: I will soon be going to a new monthly Meditation group that's being held locally - just a small group of women who wish to develop their Meditational skills. It starts in April... am looking forward to that.

DH and I have been to two Mind, Body and Spirit events so far this year, the first in Grimsby in January (the first time we've been to that event in a while) and, most recently, to the one in Elsecar, near Barnsley. They are always interesting.... and a lot of the stallholders now recognise me and say hello, which is nice. The main pull these days are the talks/workshops they hold, rather than going for the lovely goodies.... though I am now saving up for a Native American style flute, as that instrument is calling strongly to me. It helps that you don't need to read music to be able to play a passable tune. LOL

Well, that's not all of the news but it's the main happenings... enough there for you to have needed to make a coffee and put your feet up for a while. ROFL I will admit that I'm now extremely far behind on the blog reading/commenting but it's got to the point where it's unmanageable.... so, I don't like doing it, but I'm going to have to admit defeat and start again with many of your blogs, for which I apologise. I hope you'll all understand.... but I really don't want to be chained to this computer for the next month or two, trying to catch up. DH and DS would soon complain if there were no clean undies in the drawers or food on the table at mealtimes. LOL

Thank you all for taking the time to stop by... hope to be paying a return visit shortly. :0)

Santa Was Really Kind

2011-01-17T13:11:00.000Z

Hope you all had a good festive season and enjoyed time with your families and friends... and hopefully managed to fit in a little crafting here and there too. ;0)

Our festive season was a little on the quiet side but that's how we prefer it... although it did get exciting one night, when the electric power cut out all over the house. We soon sussed that it wasn't a powercut but was actually caused by the breaker reacting to my switching on the washing machine.... because DS did it again, just to prove it, and all the lights went out again. The washer's element was shot and caused a problem with the earthing, which meant one dead washing machine and a trip to the January sales.... the new one has now been delivered and I've been on laundry catch-up ever since. That washing basket had been full to overflowing, so - as I flatly refused to hand wash their undies and socks because I value my health and sanity and don't love them that much - DH and DS had to pop to the main Tesco just after Christmas to get some emergency supplies. So far I haven't killed off the new machine, or the tumble drier, whilst doing the multitude of washes to catch up with the backlog! LOL

Santa was kind to me again, thanks to my forum friends and family. Here's a slideshow of the lovely handmade Christmas cards received this year:

And, as I like adding these little slideshow doohickys now I've worked out how to do them, here are the lovely goodies received:

Thank you again ladies for your kindness and generosity - hope you all had a lovely festive season and Santa was kind to you too, and that the thank you cards have arrived OK. :0)

We didn't get out and about much over the holidays, thanks to the cold weather and residual problems from all the snow we had, but did manage to get enough of a break in it to go and see MIL on New Years Day. The fluff ball kitten is now a fluff ball adolescent and looks like she'll always be petite. MIL is doing OK and spent her first solo Christmas with various friends, with lots of other invitations she didn't take up... though she did say that having Ally (the fluff ball) has been a real Blessing and says she's helped a great deal. Thank goodness for BIL and his family having the idea to do this. :0) So here's a pic of the little fluff ball:

It was taken with my phone, so not a great pic, but it captures her cuteness. She was so curious about what I was doing, which is why she was there long enough for me to take it.... because she's normally flitting around like a mad thing. LOL BTW, those are MIL's feet in the shot.

So what else have I been doing since my last blog post, apart from killing a washing machine, opening fab gifts and cards plus visiting MIL and admiring the fluff balls cuteness? Well.... I kept myself out of mischief by having a few cardmaking sessions at various times, with these results:

Sorry about some of those scans - my scanner doesn't like the 3-D bits on some of the cards, so makes them look all out of focus. Some of you may just recognise some of the cards too. LOL Yes, three slideshows in one post might seem a bit excessive... but not as excessive as posting every single pic would have been. ;0)

I also found time for a bit of stitching too. Bet you were thinking I'd never get round to that bit, weren't you? LOL Well I delved into my stash and started a kit of a polar bear, or rather its head, another one from the same range as the tiger I finished a little while ago. This is another piece stitched specifically for one of the girls in my Development Circle, as the polar bear is her Power Animal. I'd hoped to get it finished before the New Year started but there was just too much left to do...... so it became my first finish for 2011 instead.

Design: Polar Bear, kit

Designer: Roger W Reinardy, for the Janlynn Wildlife Series

Fabric: swapped the aida for 28ct white evenweave, unknown make

Threads: as supplied in the kit, unknown make

He was lovely to stitch and I'm sure he will be well received - just got to find a suitable frame..... or pluck up courage to make it into a wallhanging, as I have a fabric that would go really well with this.

As soon as that was finished I'd planned to do a fox design for another of the Circle girls... but the Seba Designs SAL blackwork piece that I started a while ago suddenly started to shout really loudly and wouldn't be ignored, so I picked that up instead - I'd almost forgotten just how lovely this was to stitch. Add in the fact that the new Seba 2011 SAL piece has been released.... well, I thought it best to get last years finished first. I put the last stitch in it last night (Sunday 16th January) and here's a bad pic taken in poor light, as the bright days are few and far between at the moment:

That's two finishes in a month! Wow! Keep going at this rate and the bellydancing CD will be worn out LOL. It sure does make a change though, after all those months of missing mojo that made 2010 a poor year for finishes - my album has a grand total of...... three pics in it. *blush*

I will now admit to hitting the January Sales for a little more than a washing machine. Yes, I got a few small stash additions:

I couldn't resist - they were real bargains. LOL Actually, I was quite restrained, considering the price the HAED charts were going for... though, admittedly, I already have plenty of those in my stash. Yes, I know, I should have thought of that before buying another one.... but it's an Angel! :0)

The New Year brought a few other new things too. Firstly, Clare took the plunge and started her very own Forum: Needlecraft Haven. It's a lovely, friendly place to hang out and chat and there are a few activities to join in too, in case you haven't already got lots of stitching planned: the RR's are already off to a flying start (sorry, couldn't resist. Eheheh); the Just Nan SAL is ongoing; there's a HAED SAL (any HAED piece you are stitching and would like encouragement with - Mother Earth is demanding attention); the Carriage House Samplings SAL starts in February and some of the girls are stitching Shores, whilst others are stitching smaller designs (I'm joining in with Enchanted); there's a Quaker SAL, again you can join in with any Quaker piece you like. There's going to be an Advent Exchange later in the year and then there are the regular features: UFO Night, watched over by Julie and Mr Stick, is there to help us all get those UFO's finished; a Monthly Christmas ornie section (stitch any ornie you like) and the Monthly Challenge SAL... this months stitch is a cute cat freebie by Tralala. I'm stitching this for MIL... but I can't tell you any details until Reveal Day, sorry.

Soooo, at some point I shall be getting back to my JN piece, Flora, as the plan is to give it to Aureen, who runs the Development Circle, once it's finished. As I haven't stitched a larger Quaker style piece and have a couple of suitable designs in my stash, I'll be joining in the Quaker SAL. This piece shouted the loudest:

This was the initial floss toss, with a Thai silk thread, but am not sure about it, so will be trying DMC 820 instead. I'll be stitching it 1 over 1. Once I've completed the Challenge piece will probably be the ideal time to start this little beauty. So that's covered quite a few of my stitching plans for this year, though they're not set in stone and could be changed at some point.... it's allowed, as I'm a woman and it's part of the job description. ;0)

As for the Development Circle - it restarted last Tuesday (11th) and it was so good to be back and see the girls again. There was only one member missing and we've got our fingers crossed that she'll be back soon too. We were all a little rusty but it was a good session anyway and we're looking forward to the next one.
Then my monthly Reiki session was on Saturday (15th) and that was lovely - such a calming session. As DH and DS were out all day I did some shopping then had my dinner afterwards, in the local Fish and Chip restaurant (though I opted for chicken, chips and salad). It's so good to be so much better that I can do this kind of thing now. :0) Though this year has seen me have my first ever Hypnotherapy session - there are a few residual issues from the old agoraphobic/panic attack days that need to be dealt with, along with my wanting help to get back on track with my weight/diet (gone off the rails since my op last year), and I felt this was the best way to go. Eventually I plan on having a Past Life regression done too, something I've been interested in for a while now. It's going to be an interesting journey in the coming months. :0)

Last week was a time of being in charge of the TV remote every single evening too, from Sunday 9th to Saturday 15th - the Panto was on at the Theatre, with Get In and Get Out at either end. DH was Stage Manager and DS was in it. I tell you, the power almost went to my head! LOL It also meant quite a bit of stitchy time too, hence that Seba blackwork piece getting finished fairly speedily. Of course, the fact that they've been doing the Panto means that the pipework job hasn't progressed, despite the slight improvement in the weather, so there's still that open trench down the side of the house. Fingers crossed that something gets done next Sunday... although that depends on how DH is, as he managed to pull a muscle or trap a nerve or something in his back yesterday (Saturday) morning and has had to rest up today. Yesterday I suggested he went to the GP but wasn't holding my breath as far as him actually doing it.... but he surprised me and went this morning. I won't know what the outcome of that was until he comes home tonight - yes, he's gone into work for what he hopes will be an office based day. Fingers crossed it's just something that a little rest and Ibuprofen will sort out... soon, as I've been having to do all the lifting and bending and it's starting to tell on me too.

I am still waaaay behind with blog reading and commenting, thanks to it being so cold in here during the bad weather - even wearing the fingerless mitts didn't help. I will gradually do a catch up in the coming week or so.... but I've now got so far behind with some blogs I may just have to give in and admit defeat and just catch up with the most recent posts. So sorry, but even my nosiness can't cope with over 150+ blog posts from one single blog on top of all the others... especially as I still want time to do other things. LOL

Thank you for all your visits and kind comments. May 2011 bring you all much happiness, good health and plenty of time to stitch. :0)

Season's Greetings to All

2010-12-25T14:05:00.000Z

Hope you are all having a happy & Blessed festive season. :0)

Being Snowed Under.... Literally

2010-12-01T23:11:00.000Z

The main topic that's on everyone's minds at the moment here in the UK is the unprecedented early start to the Winter snows we've been having. Now I know there are a lot of folks out there who have probably witnessed much worse but for this neck of the woods it has been exceptional, as we usually have the mildest weather in the country. We'd been having some snow for a few days and things managed to carry on just about as usual..... until yesterday (Tuesday) evening, when things took a turn for the worse. It just didn't stop snowing, then the temperature dropped and the slight thaw during the day time began to freeze..... the main roads just became sheets of ice, including the one outside my house, and there wasn't a gritter or snow plough in sight. So most of the roads became gridlocked at rush hour and the few hills we have round here (Lincolnshire is known for being flat) were gradually being closed by the Police as too dangerous to drive.... people were abandoning their cars and either walking home or finding a nearby friend/relative's house to stay in. A couple of my DS's friends actually dossed down in the theatre bar last night, rather than risk the journey home - very sensible, as the Police had asked the radio stations to tell people to stay indoors, rather than risk travelling. My DS had to leave his car at a friend's house and walk home last night... the Mini is still there now, as the snow is above its bumpers.

It continued to snow for much of the night and this is the sight that met our eyes when we looked out of the bedroom window this morning:

The road out the front was a mix of snow and ice, barely discernible from the pavements. It was obvious that, even if DS had been able to drive home last night, there was no way he could make it into work... he would have had to negotiate one of the hills and drive out through a couple of villages to the wharf. If you think the road in front of our home is bad the villages are even worse, as they are even less of a priority for snow clearance. Then DH realised that there was no way he would be able to get into work either, despite being only a ten minute drive away.... the car needed digging out before he would be able to even try the roads.... and he'd had a couple of hairy moments getting home the previous night.... and now there'd been a whole lot more snow. Phone calls from work colleagues soon let them know that no one else was able to make it in, so common sense prevailed and they both stayed home.

Here's a slideshow of some of the views from various windows in the house. Take note of the depth of snow on the bin lids - I'd cleared them off the previous evening when I'd put some stuff in them, so that is the depth of snow that fell last night.

All three of us have done various bits of snow clearing during the day, so we could negotiate the trip to the bins and the workshop freezer without needing to wear snow shoes or skis and so DH could get his car out in an emergency. Unfortunately my poor baby isn't going to be going anywhere any time soon...like me, she's stuck in for the duration..... and it's been snowing on and off again since this afternoon, so there's about an inch and a half layer already over everything we'd cleared. Goodness knows what we're going to wake up to tomorrow (Thursday) morning!

On the up side: the lack of traffic going past has meant that it's been pleasantly quiet for a week day; I've never seen so many people walking, so it must be good for their Carbon Footprint; most of the folks that are about are surprisingly chatty, which is unusual for round here; we won't go hungry, as the fridge and freezer are well stocked, thanks to last weekends Farmer's Market shopping, and it's been nice having the two chaps around, mucking in whenever an extra pair of hands have been needed.

So what does a body do when the weather outside is abysmal? What else, once the jobs are out of the way, but do online shopping and stitch, of course! LOL I can't tell you about the online shopping because much of it is for Christmas gifts.... I'm just hoping that Santa's substitute - the Postie - can get the goodies here in time for me to get them wrapped and posted out to the recipients, so they get them in time. Guess it serves me right for not getting organised sooner... and this year I don't have the excuse of an ovarian cyst and an op! LOL The Seba SAL is growing nicely. Here's a pic I took of it pre-snow:

Another bad pic that had to be taken in poor light but at least it gives you the general idea. Here's how far it's progressed post-snow:

Yes, I've made a start on the fun bit - the blackwork that's actully in blue. The colours are much nicer irl, honestly. I decided not to complete the large box at the bottom just yet, until I figure out what I want to do: the original has two lines of cross stitch along the bottom, to make the patterns fit, and I'm not too sure if I like it that way, so am trying to decide if I have the confidence (and patience) to do a bit of a redesign on it. The jury is still out on that one. ;0)

So what else, other than the weather and its effects, has been happening here? Not a great lot really. The trench work and drilling is stalled big time... too cold for outside work and DH is trying to reconcile himself to having to buy a bigger drill bit - £40 for one bit of metal seems an awful lot and it's breaking his heart to have to do it. LOL The greenhouse is going to need two new roof panes, as DS caught the plastic shovel right between the overlap and broke them... didn't have the heart to bust his chops about it, as he worked so hard at clearing everywhere. DH has done a hasty covering up job until we can get it sorted properly.

My DSis came back from her cruise earlier in the week. She had a good time, though would opt to go on a smaller ship, should there be a next time - 4,000 people got a bit much. She and her friends were lucky enough not to have too much weather to deal with on the jouney back from Southport, initially, and she drove home from her friend's house in Barnsley before the worst lot started - she's not had her car out since though. The shopping Outlet she works at was closed today due to the snow (though she is still on holiday) but the management are wanting it open tomorrow, when she's supposed to go back to work.... but things aren't looking promising for her being able to get out of her drive, let alone the street. £££££'s seem to be more important than the safety of the retail staff, it seems.

Development Circle was cancelled again this week, this time due to the weather - good call, as we would have struggled to get there, and if we had managed to make it there we probably wouldn't have been able to get home again. I certainly wouldn't have, as Mortal Ash Hill (dual carriageway out to the villages) had been closed by the Police. I've been keeping up with the meditation and practising some of the techniques whenever I can at home but it's not the same as being in Circle.... and I miss the girls. There's no acupuncture this week either - another casualty of the lousy weather, as the acupuncturist lives out in one of the villages and both routes into the town from there have hills that have been closed. She almost had to spend the night in the Clinic Tuesday night - it was only because a Policewoman friend rang to let her know when Mortal Ash Hill had been briefly opened that she made it home. I don't blame her for not wanting to risk the journey or the possibility of having to stay at the Clinic tomorrow (Thursday) night... though she now knows there'd be a bed here for her, if ever she does get stuck, as my house is just a few minutes walk away.

Did I tell you DS had a job interview? I can't remember. It seemed to go much better than the previous ones and DS feels they have reassessed their view of him since.... no news yet, as to whether or not he's made it into the second round, but they are notoriously slow at these things. If he gets the job it would mean some changes, as he'd be working shifts.... but the better wages and opportunities for promotion should make up for that.

Think that's about all. It's freezing in here, so it's time I was away into a warmer room - and the stitching is calling. :0)

Thank you for stopping by and for the kind comments. I hope all those who are getting similar bad weather are staying safe and warm. :0)

Pumpkins, Blackwork, Digging, Chat and Another SAL

2010-11-22T16:00:00.000Z

It's well past time I put in an appearance on this poor blog... it does seem to get put to the back of the queue on the list of things to do these days and I have no idea why. So, what have I been up to this time? Well, believe it or not, a second Happy Dance has followed hot on the heels of the Tiger - I guess that goes to prove that the sttichy mojo is definitely back from it's holidays and here to stay. Yay! It did help that the piece I picked out was an absolute joy to stitch..... and here it is, in all it's unpressed glory:

Design: A Spot of Halloween

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: Sparklies 28ct evenweave, Pumpkin Patch

Threads: DMC B5200 & 310

Apologies for the slightly blurry pic - the weather here has been dull and dismal much of the time and the digicam isn't that good.... and neither are my photography skills, to be honest. LOL This one was the best of the lot I took. It didn't get finished for Samhain (Halloween) this year...... but I am well organised for the next one..... providing I can decide how to finish this up before then. I'd like to finish it as a wall hanging but my sewing skills aren't up for it - the darned sewing machine will insist on galloping off and doing it's own thing, no matter what I do. I shall get to the other side of Yule (Christmas) and into January and go find out what sewing courses, if any, are available via the Adult Education classes or the local Colleges - it's way past time I tamed that darned machine and cured my terror of it, once and for all. School sewing classes have got an awful lot to answer for!

As soon as I got Spot of finished I picked a new WIP progress out of the To Stitch pile.... sorry Julie and Mr Stick, those UFO's are just not grabbing me at the moment and not even Wanda brandishing her broom at me has worked - though I have got rather good at ducking and diving! LOL I bet you're all wondering what the new WIP is, aren't you? I did wonder about leaving that until the next post - then remembered that poor Tina (no blog) has been itching to see what it is and I've been tormenting her for long enough now. So here's the first update pic:

Design: Blackwork Mystery SAL

Designer: Seba Designs

Fabric: 28ct evenweave, Vintage Blue

Threads: Thai Variegated Silk (so far)

It's another really naff pic too, due to the same reasons as above. :0( The fabric is actually a lovely pale blue, in a Vintage style, and the silk thread is graded from a lovely deep blue to a pale blue. Strictly speaking, the Mystery and SAL are no longer relevant, as the SAL finished long since and it's no longer a Mystery as I have all the parts... but I won't go splitting hairs. ;0) It has grown a bit more since this and would have grown even more if that darned frog hadn't come a visiting. What was so annoying about it was that I was just half a stitch too low. Yes - not even a whole one, just half a bloomin' stitch! So it got frogged, then restitched in the right place, with the satisfaction of adding a couple of extra stitches, just so it seemed like some progress had been made overall. Sheesh.... when I think that without that mistake I could have had two squares stitched, not just one, I could spit like a camel. Well, I did have the hump big time afterwards.... does that count?

Now let me cast my mind back and see if I can remember what else has been happening since my last post. Eeerrrrmmmm..... well, I've had a few sleeps since then, so it's a bit of a struggle. The poor wee brain cell is on overdrive, trying to keep up with the regular stuff, and this might be a step too far. LOL

DH and I attended the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground on Sunday 7th and had a great day. I attended three of the workshop/talks: Past Lives; Meditation with Instruments and Healing with Crystals - DH came to the second and third ones with me. They were all very interesting. We also had a little retail therapy, though not as much as previous times, and I also underwent a Crystal Healing session, from one of the stalls..... now that was a great experience and further proved (not that any was needed) that I have an affinity with crystals and need to develop this further. It also helped me to go straight to a crystal stall and pick out a new Pendulum, for use in Dowsing specifically for health related matters. This event was the last one in this area for this year.

Oh, I know what else: the chaps decided that, with the help of one of DS's mates, they would lay the new waterpipe. You know how these things go with the male of the species..... they get a professional in to give them a price; they then see a large amount of £££'s on a quote and go: "You what? How much? I can get it done cheaper than that"; then they start the job, all enthusiastic..... and very soon realise that, actually, it's a hell of a lot more work than they'd realised and it's going to take them longer than they thought and, then they go: aaahh crap - wish we'd paid somebody to come and do this.

Seem familiar? Yup, that's about what happened here.

Getting the slabs up was relatively easy.... it was the bloody horrible clay stuff they had to dig out that was the problem, especially as it all had to be done by hand because we weren't 100% sure where or how deep the existing water and gas pipes were. Here's the front all dug up (one days work) with the sand layer in and the new pipe loosely laid (the second day):

This and other pics had to be taken for the benefit of the Water Board, to prove that we'd done it correctly - as we need the drive for parking our cars on, it all had to be backfilled and the slabs put back down afterwards, all before they could come out to inspect it and connect it up. Waiting for them to do that can take around six weeks (or more) and we weren't prepared to leave the trench open that long.... someone was bound to "accidentally" fall in it and try for a nice bit of compensation just before Christmas, weren't they? (Yes, I am a tad cynical. LOL). Our neighbours, the Pete's, got their trenchwork and piping done on the Saturday - lucky so and so's had proper soil to dig through and a couple more helping hands than we did - but they very kindly came round and helped us finish up the front on the Sunday.

Now the side of the house, behind the wooden gates, is a whole different story. That had to be left in this state:

That bit is from the side gates and almost to the back door and the next pic is from the back door to the back end of the house (the wooden board is so I can come out to put stuff in the recycling boxes without falling into the hole):

Since then DS and another mate have dug it all down even further (has to be a certain depth, by law) , so the clay heaps are even higher. DS then went out and backfilled the stretch from the back of the side gates to just short of the first carport upright post:

Saturday (20th) I thought I'd show willing and I shovelled and ferried two half barrows of sand round from next door (can't lift a full barrow of wet sand) and then shovelled a layer into the bottom of the trench, from just after the carport upright up to the back door and tamped it all down - it's now ready for the chaps to lay the pipe, stick a sand layer on top and backfill, whenever the mood takes them. After that I was mildly cream crackered. ;0)

DH spent much of the first weekend taking apart a kitchen cupboard, to access the outside wall, and drilling through, for the new pipe to come in.

That bit I don't mind..... it means the kitchen refurb has just been bumped higher up the Must Do list. Yay! LOL I spent most of that weekend making cuppas and a combination of bacon/egg/sausage butties - the fuel that keeps the British Workman going. The only bit about that was that I couldn't eat any of it, due to the food intolerances/special diet - bum!

This weekend, as if there hadn't already been enough destruction, DH had to dismantle some of the downstairs toilet and uncover the wall, so he could drill through for the new pipe to come in there too (it has a separate pipe system to the rest of the house, as it's in an extension). This is what it looks like at the moment:

Yup, it's definitely out of commision for the foreseeable future - we're all getting a little extra exercise going up and down the stairs, to use the updstairs loo. LOL The little white "lump" in the right hand corner of the pic is a piece of kitchen roll blocking the hole to the outside. The outside bit now looks like this:

Thankfully we have a pile of bricks at the bottom of the garden, some of which can be used to repair the bashed out area there, plus the matching bashed in bit to the kitchen. We have no idea what that random bit of brickwork is to the right of the trench: the proper manhole and sewerage pipe is further over, running straight between the houses and out to the main sewer under the road - that bit is totally out of alignment with our house and the neighbours house. All we can think of is that the builders got that bit wrong and decided it was too much hassle to rave it all out again, so just left it in situ. You find some weird bits and pieces when you start dismantling or digging bits up in and around this house. LOL Fingers crossed (and everything else!) that this job gets finished before Christmas because the level of muddy footprints that are getting traipsed through my house is now starting to give me a decided twitch.

Development Circle is going OK, though there wasn't a session last week as Aureen was undergoing some hospital tests for a couple of ongoing health isues she has. Lots of healing vibes have been going her way. My acupuncturist is currently on holiday, so I booked myself in for a couple of Reflexology sessions - those have been very interesting, not just for the healing but also for the chat with the practitioner, B. She is undergoing training in Hypnotherapy... so I've requested that she lets me know when her training is complete, as I would like her help with a couple of things: to get me back on track with my diet, as that's gone to pieces since my op; help with learning some self-treating techniques, to help me tackle the last couple of post-agoraphobia/panic attack things that still give me a little anxiety and to aid meditation; wanting to remember a couple of childhood incidents that could have a bearing on issues I have now and, the main thing, to undergo a Past Life Regression. B should receive her certificates in January and will be able to give Hypnotherapy treatments from then, so 2011 looks set to be an even more interesting year than this one. :0)

Oooo, I nearly forgot: the lovely Tina (no blog) will be running a Shores of Hawk Run Hollow SAL over at the Stitch & Stash Forum but it's not just for stitching Shores - folks can join in with any Carriage House Samplings piece. So I went rummaging in my stash and found three CHS charts lurking in there and this one shouted the loudest:

Enchanted... and, as you can see, I've already got the fabric chosen and done a floss toss. I've been extra good, as everything is from stash. I think the SAL starts in January 2011 (best check, hadn't I? LOL), so it'll be a nice way to start off the New Year and, hopefully, I'll manage to keep up this time... unlike with the Just Nan SAL (sssshhh, don't let Mr Stick know! LOL).

Oh, and before I forget again: someone asked about the new header pic. It's a view of the Langdale Pikes, as taken from the path between Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater, in the Lake District. It's one of the pics I took when DH and I did the walk on our summer holiday this year. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit... and especially for the lovely comments you leave. Welcome to newbies to my blog too.. please say Hi. Have a good week folks. :0)

Stash Acquisition and the New Start

2010-11-02T20:59:00.000Z

Well, despite it not being gardening weather, I still don't seem to have got back into the swing of this blog thing at the moment. I am gradually catching up with everyone (still got a few to get to though... I will, so bear with me please) but the writing seems a bit of an effort at the moment and I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because the stitching mojo is back and I'd rather be with my needle and thread in hand? :0)

I mentioned in my last post that I'd been acquiring new stash, courtesy of eBay..... despite the fact that I'm actually supposed to be selling items that I'm clearing out. Ah, well.... I don't drink or smoke, so take it as read that this is my harmless little vice. ;0) Here's what I succumbed to:

The two charts are courtesy of Christine. I couldn't resist the Honey one: it's for me, as I turn 50 next year... so when DS makes the inevitable cracks about it I will just point to this piece, as it says it all... although I will admit that I will be pointing with one very expressive finger LOL. ;0) The other chart is because I love reindeer and stag designs. The little kit is so I will have somewhere to put my MP3 player when I'm working around the house... most of my trousers and cardigans don't have pockets, so I don't have anywhere to put it at the moment and it would be nice to listen to some music to drown out the sound of the Dyson whilst vacuuming.

The acquisitions didn't stop there though... Sally decided to put temptation my way too, when she added a couple of Must Have charts to her sale album, right when I just happened to have some money in my PayPal account. It must be Fate says I..... so here they are:

Thanks again Sally.... delighted to have got my hot little hands on these. :0) Thankfully I do still have more items going than coming back in, so the space I cleared hasn't been filled..... well, not just yet, anyways. LOL

So that leads me to the new start. About flippin' time, I can hear you all muttering. LOL I must say I am really enjoying this stitch and it really has helped to kick start the old mojo again... and it's another item that's been in my stash for a while, so it's good to be crossing it off my Must Stitch Soon list. So, for your delectation, here it is:

Design: A Spot of Halloween

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: Sparklies 28ct evenweave, Pumpkin Patch

Threads: good old DMC 310 and B5200

And to prove just how much I am loving this, here's the most recent update pic:

And it's grown a bit more since this pic was taken, thanks to another episode of V to watch. Yup, that mojo is definitely back. LOL

So what else have I been up to, apart from trying to catch up with a mammoth amount of blog posts? Well... I finally bit the bullet and had a drive out to The Range last week, extending my comfort zone even further. So, now I've done it once I can do it again... and the trip took me past the main Tesco, which means I know now that I can get there when the mood takes me. It may not seem a lot but this is another step in the long road of recovery from agoraphobia and panic attacks and getting back to normality... though me and the word normal don't quite equate somehow. LOL I bet you're all wondering whether the crafts section was the pull... nope, I needed some cereal boxes and other household bits and pieces, as well as a new address book for my craft room:

I spotted this one and a notebook that would go in there perfectly (though couldn't find a matching pair anywhere). Why do I need an address book in my craft room? Because it has a section in it for adding occasions, so is perfect for all the addresses and important days of my stitching and blog buddies, that's why. ;0) Though I do admit to buying a couple of items from the craft section whilst in there: some mount board card, to make those drawer dividers, for organising my kits into the filing cabinet, and some Duflex stickers that were in the sale. I call that being very restrained. LOL

Not a lot happening in the garden at the moment: too flippin' cold! Just a bit of trimming going on, weather permitting. Not a lot happening on the DIY jobs front in the house either: DH seems to be doing a fair bit more at the theatre... he'll be crewing for another groups performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's Yeoman of the Guard. Then he's been asked to Stage Manage the LTC's pantomime (that's in January)... he's getting a good reputation for being well organised and efficient, so they want to work with him. Meantime, I'm looking for a versatile handyman to do all the jobs he's not getting done. DS has a small part in the panto... but he gets to have a swordfight, so he's looking forward to that. His job hunt is continuing.

The Circle is going OK. We've done some lovely meditations recently, based on unconditional love, and they seem to be helping, as I was delighted to receive messages from Sh's Dad in Spirit last week that I could pass on to her. Unfortunately I haven't been able to discover whether this is me finally tuning in properly or just a fluke, as this weeks session has been cancelled - Aureen had a last minute hospital appointment to attend and wasn't going to be back in time. Never mind, it gave me the chance to have another trip out in the car during the day, this time to a different Post Office (more eBay packages to post), and then to Aldi to do some shopping, catching the edge of the school run traffic on the way home... good practice for me! Tomorrow I'll be getting my hair cut, which is much needed.... those curls are more like rat tails at the moment so, if I remember, I'll get DH to take a pic. No, I haven't totally forgotten that I'd promised to ~~inflict~~ show you a pic of me wearing my new specs. LOL

Right, I'm away to wrestle the TV remote out of DH's grasp and find something to watch so I can do some more stitching.... as I'm in on a Tuesday night I'd best show willing and go grab a UFO, otherwise Wanda and Mr Stick will be on my case. LOL

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for all the lovely comments about the tiger. Hope you're all staying warm and cosy and stitching aplenty. :0)

It's Officially Official......

2010-10-17T23:05:00.000+01:00

Yup, it definitely is...... after not one but four night's of stitching this week..... the mojo is finally back and looks like it might just be staying around for the forseeable future. Yay! That is worth a Happy Dance all of its own! LOL

So what has had me sat and busily plying my needle on those four nights? Well... there's the start of the new series of V, a couple of documentaries on Ancient Egypt that I hadn't seen (a feat in itself, as I have usually watched everything there is about that era several times over), a couple of episodes of Criminal Minds I hadn't seen before, plus a new Sunday evening historical drama on Channel 4, called Pillars of the Earth... worth watching just for the main character of Tom Builder! LOL And which one, out of several WIP's and UFO's, received my attention, I hear you all asking.... it was the Janlynn Tiger I've been stitching for my Development Circle friend G. In fact I got so much done, this was the result:

Yes, folks, we have an actual finished piece..... and there's a major Happy Dance going on here at the moment. I can't tell you just how good that feels after such a very long hiatus! LOL It is so good to finally be back stitching again.... I feel like throwing a party for that long-gone mojo.

Soooooo....... now that the Tiger is completed, a frame has been freed up..... and I've already got the fabric for a new WIP on it, ready for tonight. Fingers crossed there's something good on TV, to ensure my butt stays firmly in my armchair to make a good start on it. Yes, I know you're all wanting to know what the new WIP is going to be.... but you're just going to have to be patient until next time, when there'll hopefully be enough stitching done to show you all a pic. Cue *evil laugh* here. ;0)

So, what else has been going on since my last post? Well, the play my DS was in and DH was Stage Manager for went well - not the greatest aucdience turn outs each night, but not bad for an am dram production. The book An Inspector Calls is currently on the high school curriculum, so it was nice to see one of the schools sending along the students to watch the play - and the cast did a post-performance Q&A session with the kids and teachers who attended. Methinks the grades for that particular school might just be up this year, as they got a lot out of it. :0)

Right when the post-show blues hit my DS, he got a letter to say he didn't get the job he'd applied for - that's the third (or is it fourth?) time this has happened and it's not doing his confidence any good at all. The feedback he was promised from certain of the interviewers hasn't been forthcoming either, so he doesn't know what the problem is, if any (there does seem to be an awful lot of in-house moves going on... kinda seems a waste of his energy applying if he doesn't stand a chance from the outset). So he's now extending his search for a new job outside of the company he currently works for. Fingers crossed he gets something soon. Meantime, the readings for the Panto have been and gone and it's now cast - DS has a minor role in this but he does have a sword fighting scene to do, so he'll have fun with that. The rehearsals will be starting shortly, so it should help to take his mind off the recent disappointment.

Things are a bit up-and-down with the Development Circle - sometimes I do well and others not so great..... the weeks I do well keep me going back for more. LOL I am really getting into the Pendulum Dowsing and am practising that a few times a week. My DS bought me a great Reiki manual recently (a belated Birthday gift), so I'll start reading that before too much longer, ready for when I eventually train to do Reiki. I had the Reflexology session... and what a treat that was. A lovely foot massage and manipulation that left me feeling great. It was also very interesting when it came to the effects of the manipulation - I could actually feel a gentle movement in the various areas of my body that corresponded with the areas on my feet that were being pressed.... and several times I could actually feel pops in my feet as the blocks were cleared. The practitioner could also tell me, from the feel of my feet, what my problem areas are: my neck and shoulder and part of my back; hips (I've suspected for a while that some of my back trouble is originating from my hips) and breathing/the lung channel (I struggle to co-ordinate the meditation breathing/pulling in energy exercises) and a couple of other things. All told I was really impressed and would recommend this treatment (providing you get a good practitioner). It was interesting chatting to the practitioner too and I like her approach to healing and hope to go back for some more sessions before too long. Meantime, the acupuncture Clinic has re-opened for business and it looks great.... and the feel of the place is so much higher and lighter, iykwim. It was so much more relaxing, I had just about fallen asleep by the time the acupuncturist came back in to remove the needles.

As for the weight: I have been off the tortilla chips for over a week now, going cold turkey. The cravings seem to have hit me hard this last few days. Unfortunately our scales are on the blink so I have no idea if I've actually lost any of the regained weight..... guess I'll know I have when my jeans aren't quite so hugging any more. LOL I'm not going to beat myself up about this though.... I'm still far lighter and healthier than I was. :0)

There hasn't been much progress in the DIY jobs department lately, as DH has been quite busy at work and the weather hasn't been that kind. He has been up on the extension roof today (Sunday) giving it a bit of a clean and adding some sealant along various bits, to try and stop the rain getting in. I gave the lawn what I hope will now be its final mow of the season. Various bits of cutting back and the like have also been done at various times, as well as some weeding, to try and get it looking half way decent before it gets too cold and wet to go out there at all. I've moved the blueberry bush into the greenhouse already, as the first frosts of the year are threatened this week... the baby fuschia will be joining it and so will the larger one, once it's been dug up from the garden and potted up.

The auction selling has been continuing, as the free listing has been coming along regularly... and I've been really good, as I've only bought a couple of items. Must remember to share pics of those next time round too. I've also been having a steady catch up with blog reading too. I know I still owe quite a few of you a visit and I will be by soon, it's just that there's a huge backlog to catch up with.... and I can't just scan through, as I'm real nosey and like to catch up with all of your news.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for the kind comments you leave. Hope you've all had a good weekend and have a gentle start to the new week. :0)

A Little of This... A Little of That

2010-10-05T00:05:00.000+01:00

So much for coming back soon and sharing a few things with you.... not quite sure what happened or where the time went and here we are in October already. I guess that some of the blame can go to eBay, as it's prompted me to have a sort through some of my stash and have a bit of a clearout (of those things I know I'll never stitch and those things I have stitched and won't do again), so I could take advantage of the recent free listing weekends they've been having. Of course, you can't just go on there and list your goodies and not have a good old nosey round to see if there are any amazing, gob-smackingly cheap bargains to be had, can you? Well I obviously can't. ROFL It kind of defeats the object of having the clearout in the first place..... so, thankfully, there haven't been too many, so the spaces haven't been filled.... yet! I've been lucky enough to have made enough money to be able to buy a few crystals though, ready for the future. :0)

Anyways, that's not why you're here..... you'll be wanting to know all about that stash I acquired, won't you? LOL First up is a kit I spotted ages ago on eBay and just couldn't resist... and I certainly didn't pay the price on the sticker for it, either:

He doesn't look like my Spirit Guide but there's just something about him that struck a chord when I saw him. Hopefully the stitching mojo will kick in and stay around permanently, as I really want to stitch this soon. :0)

Then there were the Wimble Bees bargains I picked up. A few finishing items:

A few charts that just had to make it into my stash:

Am thinking that the JN 12 Days would be a good one for an ornie a month stitch, through next year. Anyone fancy a SAL? That is.... if the missing mojo ever turns up for it. LOL And you just can't buy charts without buying a few fabrics as well, can you?

It's a mix of 28, 32 and 36ct fabrics and they've nicely enhanced my fabric stash. And the beauty of this little lot is... my lovely DH very kindly paid for it all. Yup, he's a keeper. LOL

What else was I going to share a pic of? Oh yes, the tiger. Now the intermittent mojo did pop in for long enough to get a bit of this stitched, making it worth showing you all a pic:

Not much more to go to finish that fancy border bit but, unfortunately, the mojo hasn't bothered putting in an appearance since, so it hasn't grown any further..... and neither has any other stitchy project. Mind, I have been catching up with a bit of blog reading lately (something else I fell waaaay behind with) and seeing all the lovelies you've all been stitching on, especially the new WIP's, is starting to make my fingers itch to pick up a needle once again. Watch this space.... ;0)

One of the main things to happen since my last post is the acquisition of our new greenhouse. Luckily I took a few pics before the weather turned. Looking across the garden at it:

The area between the slabs, inside the greenhouse, is going to have a wooden slatted floor put in (think wooden pallets), which will enable water to run off. Unfortunately the weather has stopped us from getting out there to do much of anything with it now we've got it. We did have a trip to the garden centre for a water butt (to catch the run-off from the guttering, for watering with) a couple of weekends ago and, whilst there, I spotted a few alpines and a succulent that will look nice in the little alpine garden I plan on planting around the slabs - all I need now is some nice weather (and a bit of enthusiasm!) to get out there and prepare the soil.

So what else has been happening? We still have the caravan in the front garden. We had several interested people have a look round it and make all the right noises... but none of them have been interested enough to come back with the cash, to take it off our hands. As the caravan is still there it's meant the replacing of the water pipe and brickpaving have had to be postponed for yet another year. We've left the For Sale sign in it but now the weather has turned it's unlikely anyone will be interested now. Fingers crossed for a sale next year, so the front garden and drive can finally be tackled! :0)

Development Circle is going OK. The past few weeks we've been concentrating on the clairs: clairsentience (feeling - this is my main sense and why I do OK at psychometry) and then clairaudience last week (hearing - my secondary sense) and this week it will be clairvoyance (seeing - not so hot with this). I also attended the monthly session, this time at the home of one of my fellow Circle members, where we discussed numerology and Pendulum Dowsing - a great session that has helped me to begin working with my own Pendulum, a natural amethyst crystal... it seems I have a bit of a knack for it and it's something I'm developing further. :0)

The acupuncture sessions are still ongoing, though I shall be having a reflexology session instead this week - the clinic is closed for refurbishment, so no acupuncture, and I wanted to try out this treatment. It's mainly being done as research, as I want to know what happens during a treatment and what - if any - effect it has.... and it will help me to decide if it's another form of healing I would like to study and go on to give to people. Meantime I've decided to tackle the weight gain that's happened since my operation last year - the rolls are back and I feel so uncomfortable, and it doesn't help my knees any, so those lbs have just got to go. Am hoping to lose around a stone in total.... but getting back to my pre-op weight of 11 1/2 stone would also be acceptable. :0)

The rehearsals for JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls gathered momentum the last couple of weeks. Sunday (3rd) was the Get In at the theatre and tonight is Full Dress Rehearsal - tomorrow is the first performance. DH is Stage Manager for this and DS plays the part of Gerald, the fiance, in it. I've asked DH to get me a ticket for Wednesday night - yes, I'll be going on my own again, as I really want to see it. It would be nice to have someone to go with but after doing this once already it isn't anywhere near as intimidating to do this time around. Apart from going to Circle on Tuesday evening and the theatre on Wednesday evening I'm home alone in the evenings...... and in total control of the TV remote once more. Shame there's just not that much on worth watching! LOL

And I think that's all of the main events so far - hopefully it won't be so long until my next post. :0)

Thanks for visiting.... & I'll be stopping by your blogs for a visit in the coming days. Meantime: hope you're all keeping well and happy. :0)

Feeling More Sociable

2010-09-06T20:23:00.000+01:00

As the heading says I'm now feeling much more sociable than I was, so it's time to return to The Land of Blog. I've missed you all and all your news. :0)

Thank you for all of your caring comments and condolences, they mean a great deal. The funeral for FIL was conducted by two Minister's who knew him, so it was both a personal and moving service and a fitting goodbye to someone who gave a great deal of his time and energy to his local community and Church. MIL was appreciative of the start we made on clearing out the garage for her over the weekend. We tackled slightly less than a quarter of it and still managed to totally fill the back of the estate car with stuff to go to the amenities site. Thankfully DH only brought back two small items, both of which will be used... believe me when I say that that was very restrained, for him. BIL, his wife and two girls had the idea of buying a kitten, as company for MIL - a stroke of genius, as it was love at first sight on both their parts.... and that tiny little furball seems to know why it's there and would go to MIL as soon as she sat, climbing up the armchair and into her lap where she'd sit purring and happy, bringing much comfort.

I have some more thanks and birthday gifts from way back in July to share with you which didn't get posted about before this hiatus.

First of all I need to put Barb's curiosity to rest by sharing what I used her garden voucher birthday gift for:

I love lavenders, and love the fact that the bees love it too, and have always wanted to add more varieties to my garden and when I saw this French Lavender: Deep Rose at the garden centre it had to come home with us. So there you go Barb, that's what I got, and thank you once again. :0)

The lovely Clare sent me this:

Her own lovely bookmark design and the fabric and threads to stitch it. I often have several books on the go at once, so if you knew how often I have to go hunting for bookmarks you'd have an idea of how appreciated this is. A lovely handmade card too. Thank you again Clare. :0)

Next is another lovely surprise from Tina (no blog), a fellow member of the Stitch'n'Stash Forum:

Don't you just love that cute owl. The times I've almost bought it then changed my mind... and now it's in my stash. Yay! Another project will be grateful for the needle magnet, as it'll stop me from parking it in the fabric. The charm is an owl and the thread is a Polstitches called Friendship. Thank you Tina (hope you saw my post on the forum!) - think you read my mind with these goodies. And now the mojo seems to be putting in an appearance (at last!) the owl is hooting at me to stitch it. LOL

There was also a package from Dusty, in the USA:

Dusty read my post on the forum about my having difficulties getting hold of this magazine, now that Jayne's Attic is closed.... and kindly sent me a copy for my birthday. Thank you so much Dusty, you're a star.... and my Must Stitch List has increased since seeing several of those ornies. LOL

Last, but by no means least, was the parcel of goodies from my long term PenPal Maggie (no blog):

A very useful mix of cross stitch and cardmaking goodies. She must have read my mind, too, as I was looking for a coaster and fridge magnet in my stash beforehand and had come up empty (was sure I had some too), so now I can go ahead with those projects. :0)

There was also a birthday in the blogging world and this was the card I made and sent to Helen:

While I was in the mood for cardmaking I set to and made another one for my "Just in Case" stash:

Sorry, the scans aren't that good.... but you get the general idea. LOL

I've also been doing a little stash acquisition at times, courtesy of the Wimble Bees closing down sale - nope, I just can't resist bargains! LOL - and good old eBay... but I'll share those another time, as this is going to be a long post as it is.

I've also been spending quite some time out in the garden, whenever the weather permitted - it helps me greatly, especially when grief comes to call, to connect with Mother Nature, bringing a timely reminder of the cyclical nature of our existence: life, death and rebirth. When we visited the garden centre the French Lavender seemed awfully lonely on the trolley, so we added a couple of other plants that were also a magnet for the bees and hornets:

The purple one is Stokesia: Klaus Jelitto and the one to the right/front is a Dianthus: Raspberry Sundae... and the only reason I know their names is because I kept the labels. LOL The one in the middle is one that my Dad gave me the year before he passed away. Am glad to say that all seem to be thriving and enjoying the nutrients from that well rotted horse manure I dug in, earlier in the year. And, because I'm really pleased with it, here's a pic of the alpine pot, now it's better established:

We dug up the smaller of the two fuschias from the garden and put it in a pot and will be doing the same with the larger one (again, given to me by my Dad) and have bought a pot, ready for it to go in once it's finished flowering. We decided they would probably do much better if they were in pots, so they could be overwintered in the greenhouse. DH has been busy laying the greenhouse base (pics next time) and the greenhouse itself is going to be delivered and erected on Sunday 12th. Yay!

DH and I had a trip over to the Elsecar Heritage Centre, near Barnsley, to go to a Mind, Body and Spirit event over the Bank Holiday weekend. It was a last minute decision but we were both happy we'd been. We attended two talks, one by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free and another by George Fryer. The one by Barbara was about us all being psychic... and she surprised us by making us move round, so none of us were sitting next to people we knew, and getting us to do some psychometry. I was so glad when I managed to pick up on some things for the lady who let me hold her gold chain and crucifix, despite the fact that it wasn't in Circle and was noisy.... a sign that my skills have improved a tad. :0) DH also picked up something relevant for the person he was sat next to... this being the man who is very scientifically minded and a bit leery about things like that. I also had a Spirit Guide portrait done... and got a surprise. Not much retail therapy, compared to usual, but it proved to be a very interesting and enjoyable day all round. :0)

I've been having my usual weekly acupuncture sessions, to help with the menopause and arthritis symptoms as well as helping me Spiritually, and have just had my monthly Reiki session. I also attended the monthly talk session, that's held at my Herbalist's home, on Bank Holiday Monday. This time we were to discuss dowsing rods, pendulums and numerology.... but the dowsing rods and general chat proved to be so interesting we didn't get onto the other subjects. We've already arranged the date of next month's meeting... to talk about pendulums and numerology, to make up for not doing them this time. :0)

As well as buying on eBay I also dipped my toe into doing a little selling, thanks to a recent free listing day. I'd got quite a few craft items that I no longer wanted, so added them and hoped I'd sell a few. It was a good idea, as over half of what I put on went to new homes........ unfortunately what I made has almost been spent. Not all on replacement craft goodies though..... I bought several crystal/gem items that I've had my eye on for a while. Will post a pic when they arrive. :0) The unsold goodies have gone into my Webshots trade album, along with a few more things I've sorted out since. Now roll on the next free listing day. LOL

The stitching mojo has been on a looooong holiday, only putting in the occasional appearance. I put a few stitches into the Tiger over the weekend at MIL's, then did a bit more a week or so later.... then picked it up on Friday night (3rd) and had quite a good session on it... and that's been it since. BUT the thought of wanting to stitch is there, so it's not a total abandonment this time...... fingers crossed! I shall keep you on tenterhooks for a little longer though.... this post is already pretty photo intensive and long, so I'll save a pic of the this until next time. * evil laugh* ROFL

As you can probably guess, from the lack of comments recently, I'm waaaaay behind on blog reading (over a 1,000 posts in my Bloglines list!). I'll be having a gradual catch up over the coming weeks, so please bear with me while I get round to each of your blogs..... it may take a while but I will get there in the end.

Thank you again for all your kind thoughts. Hope you're all well and have lots of finishes and new WIP's under your belts since my last visit. :0)

A Quick Update

2010-08-12T12:17:00.000+01:00

Just so you don't think I've done a disappearing act again: my FIL passed away on Wednesday 4th August at 2.05pm in Derby Hospital. He'd had to be re-admitted to the hospital that morning, due to a chest infection he'd developed not clearing up. His end was very quick, which left us all somewhat stunned, but also Blessedly peaceful. We were relieved that he'd suffered none of the excruciating pain usually associated with cancer and feel he left this life the way he wanted: without fuss and on his own terms.
What more could one ask?

The funeral service is tomorrow (Friday 13th) and we'll be spending the weekend with MIL, doing whatever she needs doing.

Will be back blogging again when I feel a bit more sociable.

Take care all.

A Holiday and a Birthday

2010-07-30T16:09:00.000+01:00

Bet you thought I'd been and gone and emigrated and not told you. LOL No such luck... we've been on our annual holiday (vacation), spending two weeks in the fabulous Lake District, followed by a mammoth laundry and cleaning catch up. All the usual boring things that keep you from getting back to the fun stuff.

Am glad to say that the weather, though it had its moments, was waaay better than last year... thought we were going to grow webbed feet then. LOL Here's a pic of the back view of the cottage we stayed in:

It's a truly lovely home-from-home... but I'll not go boring you rigid by posting too many holiday pics, especially as I haven't gotten round to uploading them all to the computer yet. If I ever do get them sorted I'll post a slideshow into another post.... that way you can have a nosey or leave well alone, your choice. I can hear the collective sigh of relief as you thank your stars for that lucky escape. ROFL

It was my birthday whilst we were on holiday. That hasn't happened before and it felt a bid odd... though it was lovely to have the cards on display whilst in the cottage and then come home to find more goodies waiting for me to open. I felt like Queen Lizzy, having two birthdays! LOL As there were some lovely goodies and this post was going to be picture heavy I decided to share these via a slideshow:

As you can see, I received lots of lovely gifts and cards and felt truly spoilt. Thank you again my friends for your kindness and generosity - I loved all of my gifts and cards. :0)

So what else did we get up to whilst we were away? Well we did some walking and had quite a few trips out and about, ate some tasty meals at some lovely pubs, had a friend of DS join us for the middle weekend and they both walked the Langdale Pikes, DH and DS had a trip to Rookin House for a quad biking session, then the three of us went back the following day for archery and air rifle shooting sessions (great fun), trips to Keswick, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston and Kirkby Stephen, a couple of visits to the Rhegged centre, a walk on the shore of the much depleted Thirlmere (some of the old building foundations were uncovered) and, as a birthday treat........ a trip to Fobbles.

Yes, after reading all about Fobbles on Su's blog and not getting the chance to visit last year, it was definitely on the cards for a visit this time round.... especially with some birthday cash burning a hole in my pocket LOL. It was a bit of a trek from the Langdale Valley but well worth the travelling: the lady who owns it was lovely and the place, though small, was jam-packed full of tempting goodies - so if you're ever up that way it is definitely worth a visit. If only I'd won the lottery and been able to buy all of the fabulous charts I picked out! Unfortunately I hadn't, so had to whittle down the haul from all of the ones I would like to the absolute must-haves. It was really tough going, was that, but I got there in the end. Here's the haul that made it home with me:

As you can probably guess, that wasn't all that came home... they had a nice selection of fabrics too.

Oh yes, and some lovely scissors. The stitching fabrics are a couple of 32ct and a 36ct and you can never have too much backing fabric, now can you?! ;0)

I got a few non-stitchy goodies too. As you have all probably realised by now I do have a bit of a thing about books (as well as stash LOL) and there were a few opportunities to indulge this passion too, at Rhegged, Grasmere, in a discount bookshop in Hawkshead and in the 2 Ravens in Kirkby Stephen. Here's that haul:

The bookshop in Hawkshead also had some other interesting goodies I couldn't resist, especially at the prices:

I don't really need any more Oracle cards but those Grail Code ones screamed "Buy Me". I absolutely love Pre-Raphaelite paintings and the cards are based on them. They are visually stunning, give accurate readings and also have lovely meditations to do in the enclosed guide book. It was also the only set they had... reckon it was waiting for me. :0)

One of the trips to Rhegged had DS buying me a belated Mother's Day gift and DH an anniversary gift (it was a holiday of celebrations: it was also our 26th wedding anniversary whilst we were there). These were the lovelies they gave me:

The one on the left is from DS and connects nicely with the garden and the one on the right is from DH and has a dove with the word Peace on it and also a tiny little elephant with a little flower on its flank.... a nice way of linking in with my Power Animal. :0)

The trip to 2 Ravens had DS and I indulging in our passion for crystals and gems. DS got a lovely haul of all kinds but I was restrained and just bought the one.....

A gorgeous Sheen Obsidian crystal ball.... which was an absolute bugger to photograph because of its reflective qualities (as you can see). It isn't as plain as it looks, as it has areas that have a beautiful golden sheen to them. I didn't go with the intention of buying a crystal ball but DH had a particular drawer out, I saw this and as soon as I picked it up it called to me. I tried putting it back but it wouldn't have it, so it came home. The wonderful chaoroite crystal ball was still there and the owner kindly let me hold it again. It gutted me to leave it last time and it did again... but this time I have left her my details and asked that if they sell up (the shop is on the market) before our next visit to please phone me so I can have first refusal. I am now saving my pennies. :0)

In all the time we were away I seemed to be in reading mode, as I read two books and started a third, and only once managed to pick up a needle and stitch. The mojo obviously decided it deserved a longer holiday! LOL Here's the small progress I made on the tiger:

In case you were wondering: more of his throat area has appeared and a start made on the fancy border. Unfortunately the mojo is still intermittent and I've only picked up a needle once since, putting in some stitches on Mother Earth for the JA/S&S UFO Night, infilling more of the tree background:

So now I'm all caught up with the laundry etc and another weeding session had to be done on the border... those weeds decided it was a free-for-all party while we were away and tried to reclaim the bed. I was having none of that and gave them short shrift. Since then Garden Pete has kindly brought the sacks of well rotted horse manure for me and I spent a morning this week spreading two and a quarter sack fulls of it on that bed this week:

Thankfully the well rotted manure is nowhere near as stinky as the fresh stuff, so it made the job less of a trial than it might have been. LOL The greenhouse was ordered last weekend and that has a four to five week delivery date, so we need to get the soil properly levelled and compacted and some slabs laid... we had a rethink on the base and have decided that laying a square of slabs will give more leeway for errors on squareness than bricks and we can then fill the middle with more soil (allowing water run off inside) and around the edges, to stop any tripping hazard. There's enough excess soil in other areas to do this. DH is busy at work, working late and over the coming weekend, so isn't able to do much towards getting it sorted at the moment so I am now making like a chjain gang member and breaking up the hoarded concrete and broken bricks whenever the mood takes me, to give a solid layer under the slabs. It's very good for those "wings".... and for letting off a little steam. LOL

DH and DS did have a bit of a sort through some more of the metal cabinets DH has down the side of the house last weekend, ready for more to go. DS and I spent last night sorting through all of the stuff in the cupboards, moving some of it up by the shed, binning some and bagging up other bits, ready for an amenities site trip this weekend. After all that we moved the scrap into the front garden:

One of the local registered scrap places has come and taken it away today (Friday), so that's even more of the heap gone. Yay! We need a new water pipe laying and that can't be done until the drive between the two houses is clear.... we've made a good start. :0)

I also had a small cardmaking session last weekend, ready for Julie's birthday. A cute card for a special lady:

Not too obvious from the scan but it's a decoupage card, so has several layers. Hope you're having a lovely day Julie. :0)

I had so much fun making Julie's card I followed it up by making a card for my niece:

Then made another, for my "just in case" stash, whilst still in the mood:

Unfortunately I have to end on some sad news: my FIL has been diagnosed with cancer and, because it's well established, he hasn't had any symptoms or pain, and due to his age (86, going on 87), they feel it wouldn't be in his best interests to put him through the hell of chemo. They haven't done any further investigations either, as they feel these could trigger the cancer into faster growth/spread. He's had another stay in hospital, due to the fluid building up again, but is now back home. We visited him in hospital last weekend and we'll be going over there as often as we can manage, to help out and spend time with him and MIL. We hope he will continue to be symptomless and pain free for as long as possible. Make sure you give all your loved ones lots of hugs and tell them how much you love them... because you never know what's around the corner.

Thank you for visiting - may you all be Blessed with good health and good fortune. Take care and have a good weekend. :0)

Christmas Revisited and the Garden.... Again

2010-06-29T17:53:00.001+01:00

Due to the total lack of any stitching being done - not even a token few stitches in the Weekly SAL piece, to keep me from going under the naughty chair yet again - I thought I'd show you the Christmas ornies that were revealed when I moved a stack of stuff off a table earlier today. It's amazing what you find lurking, ain't it? LOL

This first piece was stitched some time ago and I finally got around to finishing it towards the back end of last year... I just didn't keep the momentum going enough to actually post a pic of it at the time.

Design: Hardanger Christmas Tree

Designer: Lynda Bodkin - LoopyLou Designs

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct evenweave, Fairy Footprints

Threads: hand dyed, as supplied in kit

Finish: pillow style ornie with beaded edge

After checking in my stitching diary I've just discovered that this was actually stitched way back in 2005.... and I only got around to finishing it in 2009. Oops! > hangs head in shame< Mind, I do have an excuse: I was finishing phobic back then and it wasn't until the Monthly Challenge began on the JA/S&S Forum that I plucked up courage to actually start trying different types of finishes... and the rest is history, as they say. It just took me a while longer to rediscover this stitched piece in the back of the cupboard and do something with it. BTW, that's a piece of Kate's Kloth hand dyed felt backing the hardanger cutwork area..... my stock of that is slowly diminishing and Kate is no longer producing her lovely goodies, so I won't be able to replace it once it's all gone. Does that count towards making these pieces Heirloom standard, me wonders? LOL

Next up is an ornie that I stitched and finished in the same year, I'm pleased to say. In fact, it was stitched and finished on the same day (12th December 2009).... but only because I used a pre-finished tuck ornie that I was lucky enough to win on eBay. LOL

Design: Peace, internet freebie

Designer: Elizabeth's Designs

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct Jobelan, Ice Ltd Ed

Threads: Weeks Dye Works; Carrie's Creations; Wisper thread

Finish: Tuck style ornie, pre-finished

This one was a delight to stitch, as I Love ED pieces... several in my stash that I must dig out and stitch at some point.

I also discovered some more Christmas ornies that I stitched last year but they are in a little heap, waiting for me to get into a finishing mood. Unfortunately that just hasn't happened recently... guess it's packed its bags and gone off on holiday along with my stitching mojo.

Still, whilst the stitching mojo has declined the gardening mojo seems to have gone into overdrive. Why does it have to be either or? Why can't we have our cake and eat it? LOL Anyways, earlier this week DH and DS moved the other strawberry planter and removed some of the slabs from the greenhouse base area, then DH did a bit of weeding there, which left us with this:

DH then spent another evening removing the slabs you can see in the foreground and removing the rest of the weeds, then the two Pete's came round with the rotavator on Sunday and flattened the whole area for us. This is what it looks like now:

We've left the slabs there because we need to re-lay some of them: a path at the end of the workshop, to allow access to the greenhouse door. The door will be at that end so we have all of the growing area within facing sunlight throughout most of the day. The other path will be at the side of it, in line with the one to the workshop. DH wasn't the only one who had been busy out there, as I'd been busy tackling the last area along the new fence, the closest section to the house... the most weed intensive and full of snowdrop and bluebell bulbs. So I did the weeding and went on a bulb rescue mission, whenever it was cool enough to be out there, as the area will end up covered by a patio. Here's what it looks like now:

The soakaway is a temporary measure - when the patio is laid there'll be a water butt in the corner to collect all the run off and that will be used to water the plants. And here's a pic of one of the self-set plants (snapdragon, I think - don't know the posh names) that I left in the border... it's just starting to come into flower now:

Other news: DS has got a part in the LTC's next production, which is An Inspector Calls. Lots of lines to learn, so he's going to be busy! He's also had an interview for a new job today (29th) - it's within the same company but at a different site. It's a big step up the ladder from what he's doing now, so will mean more money to go with the extra responsibility. Fingers and everything else crossed!

DH's Dad (86 years) is currently in hospital undergoing tests. He was getting extremely breathless and that was discovered to be caused by fluid build up in his chest cavity, which has since been drained off, but that has only just been done.... and it's almost two weeks later and we're still none the wiser as to what's actually causing it. So much for merging two smaller hospital's into a much larger, all-singing and all-dancing one.... there's a severe lack of organisation and a worrying lack of communication between all levels of the staff working there (he would have been injected with Warfarin the day before he was due to go for a biopsy if he hadn't queried it!). Thankfully he's been gradually improving during the enforced bed rest and the drainage has helped his breathing.

We are due to go on our annual holiday at the weekend, going to the same cottage in the Langdale Valley, Cumbria, that we stayed in last year. We are hoping that FIL will be OK so we can actually go.... especially as we don't have Cancellation Insurance... mainly because DH doesn't think it's necessary. I sometimes find it really hard to bite my lip.... I'm sure every woman out there will know exactly what I mean. LOL

Thank you for visiting and for all your lovely comments - I really do appreciate it and they really do make my day. Hope you're all enjoying the same lovely weather we've been having. :0)

Poor Neglected Blog!

2010-06-22T17:55:00.000+01:00

Yes, this seems to have become a poor neglected blog of late and you can blame it all on the garden, as I've been out there whenever the opportunity has arisen, often only coming back inside when it's got too dark to see what I'm doing. Of course, that means that there's been a minimum of stitching progress.... and without much stitching progress to show you all there didn't seem much point in blogging.

There has been a little progress on the tiger since my last post though, so I thought I'd pop in to share that:

He's looking like the master of all he surveys now, isn't he? There's still a fair bit to go, as there's his neck area to stitch in, as well as a fancy border down the left side. Unfortunately the stitching mojo has decided to get the hump because the gardening mojo has taken over the evenings, so even when it was raining and I was stuck inside a couple of evenings last week the needles stayed in the case and I had to go find something else to do. Annoying that, ain't it? LOL

Still, the garden is slowly starting to take shape... or, rather, parts of it are. ;0) DH and I spent a little time figuring out what size of greenhouse we would like and doing some measuring out, to get an idea of how much of the garden it would take up. The sticks are placed where the corners of the various sizes would end up being:

We finally decided on a 6'3 x 6'4 layout. The roof will be aligned to face the same way as the workshop, with the door facing the back of the workshop, where we'll be laying a few slabs first to make a small path. So it will be the back of the workshop, then some slabs laid to make the path (about as wide as the slab that the smaller green strawberry pot is on), then the greenhouse. So that means the existing path at the back of the workshop (you can just see it beyond the grass) has to come up and a few things had to be moved.

So, one evening, DH and I moved the large strawberry pot and the slab it's on to a new spot on the opposite side of the garden and moved the composter and all of its contents into a new home too:

The pipes show the final choice for the position of the greenhouse and that dictated where the composter had to go. All that area has to be weeded, rotavated and flattened. That should, hopefully, get done this coming Saturday (26th). There's a four week wait for delivery, so we will hopefully order it on the Sunday... then we're on our holiday for two weeks, so there should only be another week to wait after that. Perfect timing. :0)

Can you see just how tidy the garden looks to the left of the composter? Well, that's all down to little ole me. During the latter half of last week I felt the need to really connect with Mother Earth, so decided it was time to tackle the weeding in that bed.... and the fact that I've managed to put on half a stone in weight since my operation and want it back off again was an added incentive because while I'm out in the garden I'm not tempted to eat and it's giving me some exercise! LOL I opted for the old fashioned way of working: a hand trowel, a pair of gloves and a plastic seat to sit on, to avoid the worst of the bending, with regular forays to the recycling bin to empty the weed bucket and forays up the garden to empty the stone bucket into the gaps between the path to the workshop. Starting at the end nearest the house I gradually worked my way along, with the aim being to eventually reach the composter, taking out all the weeds and as many stones as I could along the way. I realised if I thought about just how long that piece of garden is it would get really daunting.... so I concentrated on the little patch of earth in front of me at all times and ignored the rest, only stopping when my back told me it needed a rest or when it just got too dark to see. I reached the composter by Saturday tea time and here's what it looked like when I'd done:

Just a few plants got left in, along with the bluebell and tulip bulbs that will hopefully flower again next Spring. The plant in the old tub is waiting expectantly to go back in the bed somewhere.

It was a good end to the week, as it didn't start off too good, as my DH was unwell and had to have three days off work. The first day and a half he spent in bed, gradually picking up as he was able to eat light meals on Tuesday (more exercise, as I was up and down those stairs so often I started to feel like a flippin' yo-yo! LOL)... so it was a relief when he came down on Tuesday afternoon and for all day Wednesday. He went back to work on Thursday. He's feeling much better now. :0)

As he was feeling OK and in the mood for helping out we went back out into the garden tonight (Monday 21st - Litha/Summer Solstice) and he planted out the plant in the tub (you guessed it... I've absolutely no idea what it is! LOL) and two shrubs that my Dad gave us before he passed away. They were being very patient too. ;0) One is a Hebe and the other... well, that's another one that remains nameless. So here's what it looks like now:

My neighbour, Garden Pete, is going to get me some well rotted horse manure and that should also be getting dug in on Saturday, ready to improve the bed for the fruit trees going in this Autumn. Oh, and that old washing line is there for me to tweak, until I get the right curvy look for the edge of the bed. :0)

We had a trip to my DSis's on Sunday. A lovely day, catching up on gossip, indulging in some retail therapy and doing some jobs for her. She now has a flat screen monitor for her computer (no internet connection yet though) and a whole lot less stuff in her loft. Boy, was our Dad a hoarder! LOL Some items were only fit for the bin but I've brought several things back with me and put them up on Freegle, so someone can have the benefit of them. Unfortunately we arrived back home on Sunday night to the news that FIL is in hospital at the moment, undergoing tests. He's 86 so it's a bit of a worry, though I am staying calm in an effort to keep DH calm. Getting him into the garden tonight was a good distraction. Hopefully the results from the tests and today's (Tuesday) biopsy will be back so MIL will be able to tell us more when we phone her tonight. Fingers crossed it's good news.

And to end on a better note, I thought I'd share another pic from my garden. Remeber the new metal scrollwork planter I got for the back wall? Well this is what it looks like now everything is a little better established:

I think they're happy in their new home, don't you? LOL

Hope you're all having and enjoying the same lovely weather we're having in my neck of the woods. Thank you for visiting. :0)

Stitching, Gardening, Cardmaking and Chatting

2010-06-05T14:57:00.041+01:00

After being really good last time around and having two update pics to show - Mother Earth, as well as the tiger - I'm now back under the naughty chair once again, as only the tiger came out to play this time. You can carry on blaming the garden for that because I've been out there whenever the weather allowed..... and that just doesn't leave enough time to put needle to fabric. Still, the tiger has grown some again:

He's looking a lot less disgruntled and much more dignified now, don't you think? LOL I thought I'd have this done in a couple of weeks. Hah! Seriously underestimated that, didn't I? Perhaps if I didn't garden, go to Development Circle or out to the garden centres.... and if I didn't need to eat or sleep too, I might have managed it. ;0)

As for the garden: it's fast becoming obvious that I'm a dab hand at container gardening, as they are all looking rather good now (even if I do say so myself!).... and there have been a couple of additions too - a wall hanging trough and a new small pot; it's also fast becoming obvious that I'm not too hot on the larger scale. The lawn is kept trimmed and tidy but the rest...... well, let's just pretend that you all believe me when I say that it's being left as a wildlife garden. LMAO Rather than post lots of photos I've made a slideshow for you all to view what I've done so far:

Take a good look at the pic of the strawberry plants and compostor - that area should be changing soon. Our lovely neighbours, the two Pete's, have done a job trade with DH: he fixed the electrics in their workshop and, in return, they are going to come round with a rotavator and flatten the area where the strawberry pots and compostor currently are and help us make a base for a greenhouse. We've already made a start ourselves, by moving the compostor and its contents this week - those lighter and cooler nights are a blessing! We have also been to have a look at some greenhouses and have more or less decided which one we would like - an alteration to the original plan, which was seeing if another neighbour would sell one she had that was surplus to requirements. DH is quite tall and, as he fancies pottering in there quite a bit, we need one that can accommodate his height comfortably - so the ones we've looked at have the option of higher eaves and a taller door. It would be so good to get it all sorted and have some tomatoes and cucumbers growing in there before it's too late in the season. :0)

All that bending in the garden has done for my back, so those magic needles my acupuncturist uses have been helping me with that. What it also needs is for me to rest up a little.... but that's not something I'm overly good at - if the weather is fine I want to be out of doors and once out there I find myself pottering, rather than sitting. I shall have to grab a book out of the huge pile and force myself to sit during this current warmer spell though, or I'll really start to suffer.

It hasn't been all gardening and stitching though, as I did finally get around to having a cardmaking session earlier in the week. Nothing too fancy - just basic matting and layering of some Habico pre-printed pictures. Here's another slide show for your perusal:

As you can see, I've also been playing around with my blog layout. DH and DS are out at the Guild Room today (Saturday), helping to lay a new level floor, so I have lots of time to play now my jobs are done. I think I've finally settled on a blog look that I like.... but don't quote me! LOL

I did get my new glasses..... unfortunately I keep forgetting to ask DH to take some pics. Well, it's not my most favourite thing to do. LOL Hopefully I'll remember for my next post, so you can see the total new look. :0)

Oh, before I forget: last week was time for another first for me. As DH and DS were both involved in the Blackadder II performance (DH was stage manager - DS had a small part in it and crewed backstage for the rest of the time) there was no one to go to the theatre with me. So, as I really wanted to see it..... I went on my own. Yup, drove myself there, sat and watched the performance and then drove myself home again. It was well worth the effort too, as I really enjoyed the show. I do like being this strong and independent person. :0)

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by for a visit. Hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather and having a great weekend. :0)

The Tiger and The Mother

2010-05-25T23:26:00.000+01:00

Well the tiger is coming along, slowly but surely.... unfortunately a bit more slowly than planned, due to the start of a bad case of gardening fever. Yup, the warm weather finally kicked off this week making it impossible to ignore the pull of the garden. Who can resist being out there when the blackbirds are putting their hearts and souls into their songs? Not me, that's for sure. :0)

Here's where I left off the stripey one by the end of the week:

It's rather intimidating having those eyes staring right back at you whilst you're infilling the rest of the face, I can tell you. The expression seems to say: Come on woman, get on with it and get me finished.... this is totally undignified! LOL

I was really good at the start of last week and brought Mother Earth out again. Well, I'd spent that long under the naughty chair I was in danger of taking root there! I didn't do a great deal (just about enough to make an update pic worth posting) but it felt good to be working on Her again. Here's where I left off:

In case you're not sure where I was working: a start was made on infilling the last section of the trees on this page. I forgot to zoom in on the pic so you get to see just how disgustingly grubby the material has got along the edges. * Hangs head in shame* Still, this piece has been on the go for several years..... but I'm not fessing up as to how long or my head will be hanging even lower! LOL

So what have I been up to this time around? The usual Development Circle session on Tuesday night - this week we did psychometry. I like doing this, especially as I seem to do reasonably well at it.... though do better on personal objects that have been worn, rather than not so personal items. Then there's my weekly acupuncture session..... those little needles are wonder workers where my arthritic aches and pains are concerned and I highly recommend it. Then I had my monthly Reiki session on Saturday.... always a guaranteed chill out, and this session has made me realise that I want to pursue this avenue but from the other side - I want to take this up as part of my development towards doing healing work. I hope that Aureen, my Reiki practitioner, will be willing to teach me..... or be able to recommend someone, if she's unable to do so. I also bought a couple of plants from a local shop and planted them up in the evening, when it had gone cooler. DS had also brought back another five strawberry plants from the market so I planted those up in a large container - we should have a good crop very soon. :0)

Then I've been out in the garden quite a bit. As DH and DS were busy for much of the weekend, what with the local farmer's market and the theatre Get In for this weeks performance of Blackadder II, I had a trip out in my car to one of the local garden centres........ unfortunately a big proportion of the local population had also decided it would be good to do this too. To say it was heaving would be an understatement.... but the Angel of Parking Spaces was with me and someone pulled out of a slot opposite the doors just as I drove through the gates. Thank you Angel! LOL I had planned on staying for dinner but the busy-ness of the place soon made me change that plan.... too many rude, impatient and ignorant people around, it just wouldn't have been enjoyable. So I grabbed a barrow (the last one by the doors - thank you again, Angel!) and started the rounds of the plants and into the barrow went: a lovely Lavendula; five assorted alpine plants and two Osteospernum (sp?). I couldn't find the decorative wall planter (menopausal brain fart moment) so I found a very obliging female member of staff who took me to where they were.... and she was also good enough to show me a selection of plants that would do well on a north facing wall, for which I thanked her. I wouldn't have had a clue, otherwise! LOL So into the barrow went the wall planter, three trailing plants and two flowering plants...... but please don't ask me what they're called because I can't remember. The Angel was still with me because, when I got to the tills, the large queue that had been there when I arrived had totally gone (thank you, again), so I paid, loaded up the car, put the barrow back by the door for the next customer and exited so the patiently waiting chap could have my parking spot. I guess his Angel was looking out for him too. LOL It was a very hot day on Sunday so, once I'd unloaded everything from the car, I had a cold drink and a sit down before doing much of anything else. Later in the day, when it had cooled off some, I planted up some of that days buys. I'll post pics in another post once the planter is up on the wall.

I've also had a cardmaking session. Nothing too taxing, just making up some kiddies cards from a kit I bought from Tesco a while ago.

Don't you just love those goggle eyes?

Very quick and easy to make.... and a lot of fun. All I had to provide was the foam pads and glue dots. I shall add numbers to the cards when I send them out. Am hoping that this will kickstart the cardmaking mojo, as it's been sadly lacking this year.

The sorting and moving things into the craft room has stalled again..... the garden can take the blame for that. LOL Oh, and I'm now waiting for my new specs to arrive, to complete the new look - hopefully they won't be too much longer.

Many thanks for all the lovely comments on my new look.... hopefully it hasn't scared too many of you. LOL Hope life is being kind and you're all having a good week. :0)

Giveaway Winner, Other Things.... and a New Me

2010-05-14T22:42:00.001+01:00

My apologies for the late draw posting for the giveaway but things have been a little busy here.... and the call of the garden is strong, now that Spring has finally sprung..... eeerrmmm sort of. The nice weather we've been having here in my neck of the woods has just given way to rain which is why I'm finally in here and on the computer and not out in my garden. LOL

Firstly, the drawing for the Lily Maiden kit has been done: a piece of paper pulled out of the Crystal Chalice of Fortune with the lucky winner's name on..... and the name is..............

Kindly modelled by DH - thought you'd prefer to see his hairy arm, rather than the "Stop the Bloody Whaling" Greenpeace t-shirt he's wearing, as the blood spots on that look too real for comfort. Congratulations Gaynor. :0) If you could please leave a seperate comment on this post with your email on (which will NOT be posted) I will contact you to get your snail mail details, so I can have the kit winging it's way to you, courtesy of Royal Mail, in the not too distant future. :0)

Amongst the sorting out, jobs and gardening I've been doing I have found time for a little stitching. I'm afraid none of it was on Mother Earth though, so I am probably in the bad books over at the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog with a third consecutive no-show. Actually it's getting quite comfy under that naughty chair, as I've now got lots of cushions and the fleecy blanket to keep me warm, a stack of books (well, I've got to get through all those books I've bought from the Hospice Bookshop somehow!) and a couple of Carob bars. The Carob is because I'm dairy intolerant and don't do chocolate.... and because there's not much chance of anyone else who's under the chair wanting to nick any - it's definitely an acquired taste! LOL So when I've been sat in my armchair, instead of under the naughty chair, and the mojo has been around it's the tiger that's been getting the attention. Here's last week's update, which I didn't get around to posting:

And this is where he's at now:

I'm still undecided about that reddish-brown thread - at the moment it seems to stand out like a sore thumb and doesn't seem to go with the other colours. Am hoping that, as I stitch more, it will kind of blend in better.

Some of the gardening has involved trips around various local garden centres, along with rather nice meals out, to buy some plants, then putting them into the five wall pots: the Lady by the front door, Arthur and Guinevere on either side of the side door and the two pots that are either side of my Lady face plaque on the back of the house. I shall take pics of them and share when they're a bit better established. Whilst we were at one of the garden centres I just couldn't resist this beauty:

The bees and hornets were ecstatic over it and I just fell in love with the colours. I'm still pondering on the best spot for it to go in the garden... DH couldn't resist going round with his spray pot of poison (weed killer) one weekend, whilst I was out at the Healing Course (taking advantage of my absence, as he knows I wouldn't let him loose with the damned stuff, otherwise) so it's staying in its pot until I know it's going to be safe!

The move into the craft room is progressing slowly but surely. Most of my books are now up there, allowing me to rearrange the downstairs bookshelves in the process and accommodate some herbal and gardening books that my DSis gave me (they were our Dad's), and a few more of my books were added to the charity pile. I finally got the boxes needed and carried on with the sorting and organising of my cardmaking stash: the bulk of the peel-offs are done (need another box to do the rest) and the rubber stamps. We also had a clear out of another cupboard and the caravan too. So when The British Heart Foundation posted a bag through the door at the weekend it was perfect timing: I filled it, left it out the front on Thursday and it's been collected, saving me from having to heft it all down the street.

As for the Healing Course: I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed both weekends. Jan's cottage, where it was held, is beautiful and so much quieter than where I live - loved the peace and quiet. We'll all be meeting up again soon to have a get together and receive our certificates and booklets. I've since done a little healing on my DH, a willing guinea pig, and helped to ease a painful shoulder problem he had... and also did a little self-healing when I had a very arthritic session with my left knee, which alos eased that. Looking forward to receiving the booklet, as it will have some of the meditations and other things in that I can use as a memory jogger. On the Sunday of the second weekend I took my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl and Wayne (the chap giving the course) took his drums and we all got to have a play - great fun. Now the others on the course have decided they're going to the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground next month with the intention of buying Tibetan Singing Bowls. LOL

The Course has set off some positive developments for me. I've been driving myself to Circle and back ever since, leaving DH to amuse himself at home, and have met my DSis at the Lemon Tree Tea Room in Epworth Garden Centre (it's half way between the two towns we live in) where we had a lovely meal, some warm drinks, a wander round and lots of chat. It was way outisde both of our comfort zones but we enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it, and similar trips, again. :0)

Another thing has been my decision to have a much-needed make-over. Due to the agoraphobia and panic attacks and the grief issues I'd been sadly neglecting myself. My weight had rocketed in that time and my hair grew long and straggly. Would you believe, it's been over 10 years since I last stepped foot in a hairdressers/salon and had my hair cut! It was a case of putting my hair into a scrunchie to keep it off my face.... and if the fringe got too long I just used to hack a bit off with the nail scissors.

Well, I tackled the weight and health problems, along with many of the grief issues, and have been feeling much better for it - now I am out and about and even back driving once again. So last week I finally decided that it was now time to tackle that last sign of the old, agoraphobic me..... time to do something about my hair...... and because I now know that I am also worth the time, effort and money that is involved.

So now you're going to finally find out what I look like - those with a nervous disposition or a weak heart be warned! LOL Here's a pic of the old me, taken at my DSis's one Christmas before Dad passed away, with much of the weight, untamed eyebrows and the straggly tied-back hair - believe me when I say I looked a whole lot worse than this the year after Dad passed (more weight and an ashen/grey complexion) but there aren't any pics of me from then.

The legs and arm belong to my DS, who didn't want his pic displayed, but it was the only half way decent pic I could find of me. Now here's me the evening after the waxing and hair styling session, courtesy of S, one of the ladies who goes to the Development Circle with me:

Can you tell that I hate having my pic taken? LOL Nicely shaped, under-control eyebrows and a layered-look hairstyle - though still a little red from the waxing. It's so easy to look after too: I just wash it or damp it a little, then scrunch it with some serum on my hands, then spray it with a spray gel to hold it. It takes five minutes to do, at most. I'll just be pulling the fringe a bit further forward in future, as I'm not so keen on all that forehead showing off the receeded hairline, otherwise I like the new look me...... though I do occasionally look in the mirror and double-check it's actually me! LOL The make-over isn't going to end there though, as I've made an optician's appointment for next week and I'm going to get some new specs..... and I'll be going for a new look with those, too. And plans are afoot for finding and joining both yoga and bellydancing classes - for Spiritual development, toning up and just plain fun! LOL :0)

Thank you to you all for your continued visits and kind comments. Hope you have had a good week and also have a great weekend. :0)

Beltane Blessings and a Giveaway

2010-04-30T14:42:00.000+01:00

Beltane Blessings to one and all.... or Happy May Day for tomorrow, if you prefer. :0)

***********************

To spread a little happiness at this lovely time of year...... I thought it would be nice to do another little giveaway. :0)

I know there are a few folks who love fairy and Angel designs out there, so I thought I'd offer a little something that might just appeal.

This kit is Lily Maiden and was designed by Teresa Wentzler.... not sure if it's still available (the TW website says: not). I love fairy and Angel pieces and TW designs... but there are quite a few other kits and charts in my stash already that I want to stitch more than this one. Thought it was best to let it go to someone who will actually get around to stitching it soon. :0)

If you would like to enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post. Mentioning this giveaway on your blog isn't a stipulation on entering but it would be appreciated, to generate some more interest/entries and make it more fun. Names will be placed in the Crystal Chalice of Fortune, ready to be drawn the weekend of the 8th/9th of May and the winner's name will be posted either Sunday or Monday.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, whatever your plans. Good Luck if you decide to enter the giveaway. :0)

Not a Lot....

2010-04-26T20:17:00.002+01:00

to share with you all this week, at least stitchy wise. You might be relieved to realise that there's no update pic of Mother Earth to show - between stitching on the tiger, spending some time in the garden, a weekend on a course and general tiredness (stitching + tiredness = frogging) resulting in early bedtimes I just didn't get around to picking Her up even once. Never mind, I shall make sure I spend at least one night putting a few stitches into that background this week.

There is an update on the tiger to show though, so at least there's something stitchy-wise to share. LOL Here's where he's at now:

Can you make out the start of an ear? He doesn't seem to grow very fast and I guess that's because there are quite a few colour changes. At least I've managed to get it up to the top edge of the design, so I can now work outwards each side, then down. I'll be putting a bit more time in on him this week, to make sure he grows much faster..... G needs him in her home asap.

Other news to share: well I've now had three solo drives in my car. :0) The first drive was just down to a local supermarket and back... but it involved driving down the local High Street and ended up a bit of a baptism of fire. There were cars and vans parked where they weren't supposed to be, with buses and lorries trying to drive round them, as well as other cars, plus buses coming up the street... and, just to make it even more interesting, kamikaze pedestrians leaping out all over the place. I didn't get out of second gear all the way down.... which suited me fine. LOL A steady wander round the supermarket for the shopping calmed me down enough to attempt the journey back up the street...... I had contemplated a detour to avoid it but I could hear my DS's voice calling me a wuss, should I fess up to that, so decided I wouldn't give him the opportunity. LOL Thankfully the journey back was way better.

The other solo drives involved journeys out to a local village and back, where I went to attend a Healing Course. The journey on Saturday had me passing a nasty accident that had happened just minutes before I got up there.... very nerve-wracking. I did debate stopping to help but there were plenty of folks around who already had, some on mobile phones calling the emergency services, so thought the best thing was to carry on and not clutter the road up anymore than it already was. So hope no one was seriously injured. I was shaking a tad by the time I arrived at my destination..... one of the ladies gave me healing, which calmed me down nicely. Sunday's journey was uneventful and much quieter....... I like Sunday driving. LOL :0)

The course is proving interesting and is already having some positive effects. It's involved a lot of meditations and what the chap taking the course calls activations, which are designed to help us start channelling the healing energy. There's been the opportunity to use self-healing techniques and healing on others. My first hands-on experience (literally) was on W, the chap giving the course. Afterwards I asked if it had been OK (what I meant was: did I do it right?) and he boosted my confidence no end when he told me I was a natural and described what he'd felt and seen whilst I was treating him. It's also good to interact with the other participants outside of the Clinic and Development Circle setting. Next weekend I've been asked to take my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl with me.... not sure yet what we'll be doing with those but it'll be fun to find out. LOL

Last week DS and I had a couple of sorting out sessions (another reason for the lack of stitching time). The first was in the caravan and resulted in a few things going in the bin, a few others being taken out to store elsewhere... and a pile of stuff within the caravan that we are keeping but need to work out where it's going to be stored before bringing it in, as we want to avoid having piles of stuff plonked all over the place that's to go away "when we get around to it".

The other sort out session was in the old air raid shelter in the back garden, that is currently used as storage (remember the door to the Secret Garden pic of it? LOL). More stuff for the bin (which is pretty full now), a bag of scrap tins and cans went into the recycling box, another bag of scrap metal bits went to the scrap skip at DS's work on Friday.... along with a bag full of rubbish that went in their rubbish skip. The BBQ charcoal was rescued and put into proper tubs, to keep it dry, the place swept out and everything that we decided to keep went back in tidily. You can now go in there and not fall over stuff... and actually find whatever you want. Roll on to when we can give DH's workshop the same treatment! LOL

DH has treated himself to a new lawnmower and christened it by giving the lawn its first cut of the season. The old lawnmower will be Freegle'd this week, so we don't end up with even more unwanted stuff cluttering up the place. Hopefully the caravan clear out/putting away session will continue too. Last week DH also managed to find the time to go to the office furniture place to get replacements for those three damaged shelves, plus the screw fittings we were short of, so that's no longer holding up the job. :0)

Rehearsals for Blackadder are picking up now, so DH and DS are disappearing off to those a little more regularly. The performance is in May and I really want to go and see it, so...... despite the fact that I won't have anyone to sit with, have decided I'm going to go anyway. I can drive myself there and back (DH and DS will be going far too early for me to go with them) and sit in an aisle seat, so I don't feel hemmed in by all those people - that will be a test to see how far I've come from being that panic attack ridden agoraphobic. LOL If it does prove too much I can soon pop out for some fresh air from an aisle seat without causing too much of a disturbance. Wish me Luck. :0)

Thank you for visiting and for the kind comments. Hope you all had a good weekend and a pleasant start to the week. :0)

The Winner, the Usual.... and Something New!

2010-04-19T20:32:00.000+01:00

The names of those who entered the Giveaway went in to the Crystal Chalice of Fortune today, as I got back from my DSis's too late to do it Sunday night. My DS ~~was pressganged~~ made the selection:

to reveal the winner as...........

Congratulations Cath. Please can you email me with your postal details and I'll get the package organised and into the post to you. :0)

I shall run another giveaway before too much longer, so keep your eyes peeled. :0)

Another Sunday has been and gone which means it's time for the usual Mother Earth update:

More infilling on the sky and it has some really pretty colours in there. Unfortunately there hasn't been huge progress made..... but I do have a good reason for it.

At my last Development Circle meeting one of the other participants, G, shared the news that she'd just been told that her DH's cancer is now terminal. All the ladies that go to the Circle are lovely people but G is one of those warm-hearted, caring individuals that you instantly warm to and feel like you've been friends with forever.... and, having lost family members to cancer, it was really upsetting to know what she's going to face in the coming months. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. After recently discovering that one of her Power Animal's is a tiger, she expressed the feeling that it was there to give her courage.... I thought that a picture of one would be a constant reminder to her of that courage, so instantly decided to stitch a piece for her. Oddly enough I had the perfect design in my stash: Tiger from the Janlynn Wildlife series, by Roger W Reinardy. So sharing my stitching time between ME and the Tiger means that ME will be growing at a slightly slower rate to usual until the tiger is finished. Here's the start I made:

I swapped the white 14ct aida (supplied in the kit) for that gorgeous Sugar Maple Pumpkin Patch fabric.... I thought it had the look of jungle about it, giving the right effect for the design. Can you tell that's an eye taking shape? Am glad to say that it's proving to be a nice piece to stitch. Good job really, as it would be nice to get it completed and given to G before too much longer. :0)

As for other things: last week had a little excitement in it, as DS and DH both managed to sell their old cars on the same day! DS was very happy to make almost as much as he was asking for it.... and the Mini was going to a young chap who was going to spend time doing it up, as he was obviously a Mini enthusiast. The Tank went to a chap who was going to be using it off road.... so it will go from being a rock-steady towing vehicle and a general workhorse, to being a true 4x4. It is so good to get the front cleared and looking a little less like a scrap vehicle yard. LOL On Saturday DS and I gave the caravan's exterior a good wash, in preparation for putting it up for sale too. Someone who saw us washing it has already made enquiries about it, so we need to get the rest of it cleaned, decide what we're selling with it and on a price. Fingers crossed it's a quick sale for this too....... then DH might just get round to getting the front sorted, as in a new water pipe put in and having it block-paved. :0)

The driving is going OK. On Tuesday night DH sat in the passenger seat once again whilst I drove us out to the village where the Development Circle is held. Afterwards I drove us both home again too.... in the dark! That was another first.... and I was sat so rigid that when I got home I'd got a banging headache, until my neck muscles nicely relaxed again. Now I've done it the once I shall do it again. Unfortunately I haven't had much chance to get any further practice in as DH was busy in the evenings, Saturday I had a very intensive Reiki session in the morning, had to have a sleep in the early afternoon and then helped DS wash the caravan. Sunday DH and I were over visiting my DSis for the day and we went in his car. I do plan on driving on Tuesday night again though - with DH as passenger, as I'll be happier with him there for the return journey just once more. Am hoping to get out again a few more times this week, as I need to be confident enough to drive solo this coming weekend.... the Healing Course I am taking starts then. :0)

The move in to the Craft Room has stalled a little. I need DH to make up some dividers, for the filing cabinet drawers, out of mountboard card - the pocket dividers he got me just aren't working, as they are limited as to how much you can put in each of them and they don't go down to the bottom of the drawer. There's a lot of wasted space and I can't fit half as much in a drawer as I need to at the moment. DH still hasn't managed to find the time to take the damaged shelves back to the office furniture place for replacements either - another stall factor.

Whilst at my DSis's we had a trip to The Range. DSis had a small splurge on a few craft goodies and a duvet set to go with the new colour scheme in her back bedroom. I was extremely restrained and just bought another folder for storing peel-offs in.... so guess what I'll be doing in the next few days. LOL Unfortunately they didn't have any more storage boxes than the branch over here, so I am still looking for suitable ones. It's getting a tad frustrating now and is another contributory factor to the stall too. Ah, well.... it'll get there eventually. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for all your kind comments. Hope you all had a good weekend and a gentle start to the week. :0)

The Usual...... and a Cute Teddies Giveaway

2010-04-12T16:31:00.000+01:00

Once again it's time for the usual weekly progress update on Mother Earth. Yes, it's getting boringly predictable... but persevere, as there's something nice afterwards. LOL So here's where I got up to this week:

Although I'd enjoyed stitching those trees it was so nice to be able to stitch in some different colours. There are still some of those trees to stitch but I'll get back to them when I've done a bit more of that blue first. :0) I didn't get as much stitched on this as I'd have liked but that was because I wasn't feeling too great for some of this week... and I'd also been busy doing some other things (more of that later). Am feeling much more in the mood for stitching now, so hope to get a lot more done this week. :0)

During the last few weeks it occured to me that two Blogoversaries have slipped past without my realising it, resulting in no celebration.... nope, not even the letting off of a celebratory party popper or three. And my blog has recently hit another milestone too..... over 50 people have now added themselves as Followers. That one still amazes me - all those folks thinking this blog is worth stopping by for a visit! How cool is that? :0) This then led on to thoughts of having wanted to do something after my operation last year, as a thank you that the ovarian cyst was benign and for the operation and recuperation having gone well..... but time got away from me, as I got busy doing things again.

There's also the new Baby to celebrate, along with my recent return to driving. Yes folks, I had my first refresher lesson on Thursday (8th), followed by a second on Saturday (10th)..... and both the instructor and myself have lived to tell the tale..... and both her car and mine still in one piece too, not a dink or scratch on either. ;0) LOL The Instructor boosted my confidence big time when she said there was no point in my having any more lessons with her, as my DH could sit and do what she was doing...... because everything I need to do is all there, I'm doing well, and all I need now is practice. So DH bravely sat in the passenger seat while I had a tootle out in my car on Sunday - still in one piece, though maybe with a few extra grey hairs..... and he swears the nervous tic has absolutely nothing to do with it. ROFL Actually what he did say was that I'd done very well.... I think I surprised him.

We also carried on with the clearout this weekend: DH has been going through all kinds of paperwork, shredding/filing/recycling as he went, resulting in a full blue recycling box and three bags of shredded paper going to a local animal sanctuary. We've also got an old cupboard out of the living room (currently sat in the hall - going to phone a local charity to come and take it) and pushed DH's armchair back.... suddenly the living room looks a whole lot bigger. Getting DH motivated to do this has taken a long while, so I definitely consider it worth celebrating. LOL

Another plus is that the new Craft Room is nicely taking shape too, after a looooong wait for it to get started. Getting things organised for that is unearthing things in my stash that I've decided aren't to my taste anymore and others that I know I won't get around to stitching..... which led on to my next thoughts: yes, I have many things to be grateful for and many extra Blessings to count..... and I'dreally like to share some of the happiness..... spread a little good Karma around...... hopefully brighten someone's day, so I thought I'd have a few random little giveaways whenever the mood takes me.

I decided to start with cute and you can't get much cuter than these three little fellas:

Two Christmas kits because, lets face it, you can never start your festive stitching too early, can you? LOL And the other one makes me think of Spring, so thought it was appropriate for the time of year (btw, the packaging got damaged for this so I've popped it into a new bag - contents are fine/all there though).

There are no rules to this giveaway and no having to advertise it on your blog (unless you want to). All you have to do to enter is say so in the comments. No worries if you don't...... just keep an eye open for future giveaways, as there might be something in one of those that appeals to you more. I'll get my DH or DS (depends who ~~I can pressgang~~ is around at the time) to pull a name out of the ~~glass fruit bowl~~ Crystal Chalice of Fortune next weekend and I'll pop the winner's name in my next post on Monday 12th. :0)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Thank you for stopping by and for the kind comments you leave. Good Luck if you join in the giveaway. :0)

All Kinds of Progress and a Confession

2010-04-05T18:03:00.000+01:00

Another slightly late posting but I do have a good excuse this week: yesterday (Easter Sunday) DH, DS and I were all over in Derbyshire, visiting DH's Dad and step-Mum, doing a belated Christmas present swap (we couldn't get over there at the time, due to my op and recuperation) and catching up with all the news. FIL is in his 80's nd MIL in her 70's but both remain very active and look much younger than their years. Of course the visit meant an early start and a late return, so no time to take pics or post on blogs during Sunday.

So, without more ado, here is last week's progress on Mother Earth:

Just a few random stitches and lack of time stopped the completion of yet another page. The next page has a much smaller section to stitch so am hoping it won't take too long to complete it.... it will also be nice to get on to some lighter colours, so am looking forward to stitching on that sky. LOL

As for other things: I haven't yet managed to have another drive in my baby as we've been busy - soon, I hope.

DS caught the sort-out bug over the bank holiday, so we tackled some of the loft clutter/junk. The result: the back of his Mini (back seats lowered) was filled with a dead printer (yes, DH had snuck one into the loft, to avoid it going last year!) and an old monitor, a dead kettle and assorted polystyrene infills and cardboard. When that was full he moved the car round the corner so we could get DH's on the front, to load it: that got filled with loads more cardboard (all empty, flattened boxes); a big red tub full of junk; two crates full of Tetra Paks for recycling; a black bag full of assorted cr*p and an old fibreglass sheet that came off the metal shed we got rid of last year. It was extremely satisfying to see all that lot go into the relevant skips at the amenities site. :0)

Last week also saw the arrival of the new furniture for my Craft Room and the start of the major organisation of all my stash, stitching and cardmaking. It's meant quite a few trips up and down the stairs and is going to mean a whole lot more before it's done. I'm taking the view that the enforced exercise is going to do me good and will help towards the fitness levels and weight loss I would like to achieve before our holiday in the Lake District in July..... I just hope my knees can hold out. LOL

I've taken some pictures, as promised, but they're not great - the room is small, making it impossible to get the right angles to take decent, overall, ones. Here's a view of the filing cabinet and some of the bookcase, in situ:

Only the first two shelves are in because those are the only two that I knew where I wanted them. Mind, the other three shelves couldn't go up anyway, even if I did know whereabouts I needed them, as they are all damaged. Nope, I wasn't a happy bunny when that was realised.... and we haven't been able to get them swapped yet, due to it being a bank holiday weekend. Plus whoever sorted this order can't count, as they also didn't send enough of the fixing screws to fit the final shelf, so we need to get that sorted too.

Here's a bit better view of the bookcase, which has since had about eight jigsaw puzzles stacked on the very top, their temporary home until DH puts up a shelf for me:

There's a funny gap left in the corner which I'm hoping is big enough to take one of those slimline bookcases, and that'll be used to store the things I don't use very often. As you can see some of my stuff is already in there. The piles on the top of the cabinet and on the corner of the table are kits: those are being sorted into themes (ie: Angels; dragons; historical; Christmas etc etc) ready to be filed away. I didn't dare take a pic of all of it........ DH might use it as evidence, trying to boost his argument that I already have enough/too much stash. Huh, what does a man know about what constitutes enough/too much, when it comes to stash?????!!!!! ROFL

Here's a view of the new computer chair:

I think it goes quite nicely with the colour scheme and, as you can see, has already come in useful for the kit sort through. LOL

It's been quite a voyage of discovery, this sort through. It's been punctuated with exclamations of: Ooo I'd forgotten I'd got that! and Oh, I so want to stitch this now! and the final one, when it was all stacked up: OMG, I'm going to have to live until I'm at least 200 to get through this lot - and I haven't even started on the charts yet! But please don't tell DH I said that - it'll back up his enough/too much theory.... and that "I told you so" look he'd give me would drive me crazy! LOL

OK, so now it's confession time: my name is Karan and I am a cross stitch stash addict. SABLE has most definitely been reached.

BTW, it was a whole lot of fun getting there. ;0)

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to visit. Hope you have all enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend. :0)

The Mother, The New Baby and Awards

2010-03-28T15:27:00.000+01:00

I reckon you've all spotted I'm a little late posting my last update. I wanted to be able to post it along with pics of my new baby (the car) but the planned pick up didn't happen....... a certain chap, who shall remain nameless, forgot to sort out the insurance for it, didn't he? I was not a happy bunny. As I told him: he shouldn't rely on me to remind him to do things at the moment.......... remembering things and a menopausal brain just do not go together. LOL Anyways, the delay hasn't made a great deal of difference to the way things have fallen here, so I stopped giving him earache about it by the weekend. ;0)

Of course in the excitement I forgot to get around to posting at all last week, so it's going to be quite a catch up. LOL

So, first up is the Mother, as She stood last Sunday:

Not as much as I would have liked to have achieved but a reasonable amount of progress nonetheless, as those trees are gradually being filled in. I didn't stitch on anything else during that week.... for some reason the mojo has been a little intermittent and when it is here this is the only piece I feel like stitching on, so I'll keep going with it for now. The fact that there has been a four-night run of Most Haunted Live programmes on during the latter part of this week has meant that my behind has been firmly lodged in my armchair each night, so Mother Earth has grown some more since then:

Much better progress. The final MHL programme is on tonight, so guess where I'll be from 8pm onwards? ;0)

So now onto the new baby. LOL We finally picked her up on Wednesday (24th). She's been valeted and is all clean and sparkly and smells gorgeous inside. I have to say it was a collywobbly moment when I'd paid and received the documents. I turned to DH and said, with a hint of trepidation in my voice: Oooo, I own a car now, love. The salesman laughed and asked if I'd be going out in her soon - yes, because now I've got her I am not going to leave her on the front to rot..... especially as DH has threatened to take her onto the steelworks if I don't start driving her. No way, I ain't having that! So here she is:

And if you look in the bottom left pic you can just see a bit of DS's new baby sneaking into the shot. I reckon the neighbours are wondering if we've won the Lottery. ROFL Nope - DS is in hock for the next few years.... I used the money my Dad left me (plus a contribution from DH). I reckon my Dad would be well pleased with how I've spent my inheritance. :0) So this weekend DH took me and my new baby out to an empty car park on one of the trading estates, and let me loose. I wanted to get the feel of driving again before having some refresher lessons. Some of the basics came back to me straightaway but, due to the size of the car park, I didn't manage to get out of first gear... though I did get to use reverse.... and there were no other cars about....... so I need to have those refresher lessons and want the added confidence of having them in a dual control car - just until I feel like I'm in total charge of the car around traffic, rather than feeling that it's in charge of me. LOL Though DH did say that by the end of our session he could tell my confidence was growing....... I got faster. Eheheh.

DS has had a couple of offers for his old Mini but hasn't taken any of them up: one wanted to pay peanuts and the other wants to buy it to scrap... and DS isn't happy about that at all. He's now got an ad in the AutoTrader, so fingers crossed an enthusiast spots it and comes along with the cash very soon. Meantime DH is sorting out a price for The Tank (the Isuzu Trooper 4x4) and will be putting a For Sale sign in that this weekend.... again, fingers crossed for a quick sale there too. Then we'll be able to get at the caravan to give it a good clean and put that up for sale too..... all so we can get the front cleared so the Honda, Kia and BMW Mini can all park there. Currently DH is having to park his Honda around the corner and that isn't ideal.

DH should have gone to the local office furniture place on Friday dinnertime to order the items for the Craft Room that we spotted last weekend: a wood effect bookcase with adjustable shelving, plus two extra shelves for it, and a 4-drawer silver coloured filing cabinet..... but didn't manage it. We went Saturday morning instead and, as DH has decided he wants the chair I currently use, I got to order a new one, with rubber rollers rather than castors, for my room..... it goes perfectly with the colour scheme. LOL They should be delivered some time on either Monday or Tuesday and the chaps there will not only deliver but also take everything up to the room, set them all up and place them where I want them too. I'll post some pics next time. :0)

Apart from ordering the furniture and having a tootle in my car we also went to the Pink Pig for dinner on Saturday, followed by a little shopping. Once home DS arrived back with his haul from the local Farmer's Market - the fridge and freezer are now very well stocked. DH and DS went out to a Social Reading at the LTC Guild Room that night - a gathering where the members take it in turns to read parts from a script (last nights was The Life of Brian). It helps them get some practice and they can improvise in whatever way they want.... and it usually ends up with lots of laughs. Today (Sunday) DH is currently watching the Australian Grand Prix Highlights but once it's finished we'll be out in the garden: DS brought back some strawberry plants for us yesterday and we need to plant them out. The plan is to have them growing in a large pot this year.... next year we should have sorted more of the garden so we can grow more in a spot under where the fruit trees will be planted.

I've very kindly been awarded the Sunshine Award by Clare and Vinniey and Vinniey also very kindly gave my blog a second award too. Thank you so much to both of you. :0)

For the second award I have to tell you 10 things about myself, so here goes:

1) When I was a toddler I tripped and fell, hands first, into an open coal fire - I still have some minor scars on my hands from this.

2) As a result of said fall: I have no memory of it but up until I was about 9 years old I was terrified of big bonfires and sparklers. It wasn't until my Mum told me what had happened when I was a tot that I lost the fear.

3) I have a couple of basic awards for trampolining that I took at High School.

4) I not only sense and hear Spirit - I've seen a ghost. Now you know why I'm a Most Haunted fan. LOL

5) I believe in Angels.

6) My Grandad took me to see the Blue Peter steam train naming ceremony when I was a child. Didn't get to see the presenters very well though - we were right the way at the back of the crowd.

7) I absolutely hate travelling down a hill fast so, as a result, I avoid all kinds of scarey them park/fairground rides, as well as skiing and sledding, and prefer to be in a car driven by someone who knows this and adapts their driving to suit. (Won't be a problem once I'm driving again! LOL).

8) As a child I was bullied, at some point, in every school I went to.... it's made me highly intolerant of bullying, whether it's directed at me or someone else.

9) Whilst I love my garden and all kinds of plants.... I'm not much of a gardener. I work on the theory that if it looks pretty and I like it it gets in.

10) I'm a Trekkie and am ambidexterous when it comes to doing a Vulcan salute. Unfortunatly there aren't a lot of opportunities to show off this skill. ROFL

I am supposed to pass these awards on to a set amount of people but, as always, I can't just limit it to that set amount because I enjoy reading every single blog on my blogroll and this makes it difficult to choose just a few. I also don't like to disappoint or upset anyone by missing them out, so...... these awards are given to all of those bloggers whose blogs I read and comment on. Thank you for allowing me the privelege to share in all your news and see all your lovely handworks. :0)

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Thank you for taking the time to visit and for leaving such lovely comments. :0)

Stash, Storage and Stitching

2010-03-15T19:31:00.000Z

I was reading a post over on Sharon's blog - It's Daffycat - last week, about her fabric sorting and storage and decided, as I set about sorting my own fabrics and moving the storage containers into my Craft Room, to take a few pics to share while I was about it.

First up, from the first set of storage drawers, are all the backing fabrics.The top drawer contains the "every day" fabrics (mostly fat quarters) with some fat eighths (in bags) that also go in there:

Quite a wide variety, though the fat eighths selection is my favourite. The second drawer contains fabrics for my two favourite subjects to stitch for.... Halloween and Christmas:

The third drawer (not shown) contains the iron on Vilene, felts in various colours, wadding and stuffing. The fourth drawer (also not shown) has the bigger pieces of fabric for household projects and calico in it.

The second drawer unit contains all my cross stitch fabrics. The first drawer is full of 9 x 12/13 28count and the second holds the larger cuts:

Drawer three holds 32 and the higher count fabrics.... and I guess you get the idea as to which count of fabric I prefer to stitch on. LOL Drawer four holds aida and a little linen banding:

The third, and final, drawer unit has cardmaking things in the top three drawers but I haven't finished organising these so haven't bothered to take any pics. The bottom drawer of this unit holds items I can stitch on (such as tea towels and tiny Christmas stockings) and finishing items (eg a tuck pillow and floss tag rings and thread holders):

Finally, here's a pic of the cleaned and newly organised storage units in their new home:

They stand out like a sore thumb at the moment (wish the silver coloured ones were available when I first went for these!) but they won't be quite so obvious when the work table is put in over the top of them. Not sure how long that will take though.... we need to have the kitchen refitted first (that's on hold for now) as the new work table is the old breakfast bar. Now, Sharon, does that answer your question about fabric storage? ;0) LOL

It's also the time of the week for yet another update pic of Mother Earth. Nope, it's no use groaning.... there's no other stitching to show at the moment, so it's this or nothing. ROFL For some reason I just don't want to stitch on anything else, so I've just been going with the flow and keeping Her as my focus piece.

I've been working on the section between the second tree trunk and what is the start of a third tree trunk. My method of working for this has never been stitching each block of 10 stitches, as I find that awkward to do, though I know other folks work well with that approach. What I ususally do is pick a particular symbol and its relevant colour and keep on stitching it until all the ones I'm working on in a particular area are filled in... or until I get fed up and fancy a change, then choose another symbol and colour and do the same. It can look a bit bitty (as it does in this pic) but it does start to fill in a larger area quite nicely. I had hoped to get all of that area infilled this week but I've had a couple of nights where I haven't stitched at all (shock - horror! LOL), mostly due to being tired.... and stitching whilst tired usually ends up with a visit from the green one, so I avoid that happening whenever I can. :0)

I haven't started the Seba Blackwork SAL piece yet, as I've decided to wait until all the sections have been released and then start it - got a feeling it'll be one that will stitch up pretty quickly, so I won't lose much by doing that, and it lets me keep Mother Earth as my focus piece for a while longer. Yep, I am too easily distracted when I have lot's of WIP's on the go..... I'm blaming it on the menopausal brain fog. LMAO. I have still got to choose my fabric and threads for the JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Challenge piece, a lovely freebie from Plum Street Samplers called Be True. Now anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am a real sucker for anything that has lovely, inspirational sayings on it.... and that I also love our feathered friends. As this is a combination of both it is a must stitch, so I shall be kitting this up to start soon. Of course, I won't be able to share a pic until Reveal Day. :0)

As for other things: DH enjoyed his run doing the sound for the Group 62 performance last week, though found it a little tiring.... and a little nervewracking when he went solo for the final two performances - reckon it won't stop him from getting involved in something similar again soon though. :0) I enjoyed the power of being in sole charge of the TV remote for so long.... it almost went to my head. LOL It got even more tiring over the weekend as it was a busy one, though exciting and also very enjoyable.

First up is the exciting news: DH and I took the car I liked for a test run on Saturday. Believe it or not, I've been and gone and done it.... I paid a deposit and signed the papers! It's being fully serviced and valeted this week and we go get her on Friday evening. *Huge cheesy grin* My new baby is a 2008 Kia Picanto Ice Ltd Ed in Diamond Blue. A nice little runaround with a small engine, very economical and perfect for my needs. So now all I've got to do is go get me some of those refresher lessons... fast. LOL I'll post a pic at some point. :0)

Sunday DH and I headed over to Elsecar Heritage Centre near Barnsley for the Mind, Body and Spirit event

being held there. It was a lovely day out, as these events always are, with some retail therapy involved and I had a card reading done (using different cards, not Tarot cards) with my usual reader - I go to her once a year for an in-depth reading that is always interesting and full of insights. I'll be doing a write up on my alternative blog about the day, as I know these things aren't to everyones tastes. We rounded the day off with our favourite meal: a take out curry from the local Indian restaurant.

Today it's been back down to Earth with a bump, as it's my regular jobs day. No rush to get them done today though, as my friend couldn't come for her regular herbal tea and natter session. Good job as I don't think I could have rushed, even if I'd tried - all that walking around over the weekend has left me feeling a little achey and tired. Yes, I still keep forgetting that it's only been four months since my op and end up overdoing things a little. That patience thing still keeps giving me trouble! ROFL So that's all the news for this time.

Many thanks to every single one of you who takes the time to read all my wafflings and for the lovely comments. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and had a gentle start to the week. :0)

It's That Time of the Week

2010-03-07T18:38:00.000Z

Yes, it's that time of the week... blogging update time. It seems to have come round real quick this week..... and already a whole week into the new month of March. That certainly flew past.

So, what have I been up to since my last post? Well, that looked forward to visit with my DSis had to be called off, as my stomach kicked off and I came down with a bit of a bug. :0( Aaaahhh, now I remember why this week seems to have flown past.... I spent the best part of two days doing nothing but sleeping, so I kinda lost them. LOL DSis and I have made up for it by having long chats on the phone, though it's not quite the same as spending actual time together. She has more holidays later in the year, so am sure another opportunity for a visit will present itself so we can make up for lost time then. Thankfully I feel much better now. :0)

As soon as I was up on my feet again I realised my DBro's birthday is fast approaching, so I made a card for him:

As inspiration was a little lacking I opted to cheat and used some of the KanBan goodies I'd bought last month. Some of this is decoupaged but the scan seems to have lost some of the 3-D look of it. My DBro is a very good DIY enthusiast, so it's very apt. :0)

It's also that time of the week for SAL updates too. Yes, folks, I'm going to bore you all with yet another pic of Mother Earth! Believe me, you are going to be sooooo sick of seeing Her by the time the whole piece is finished. LOL With not being too well Sea Stars didn't come out to play last week, so I made ME my focus piece instead and it's showing the benefit of that - even DH made a comment on how it's coming on. Here's where I left off last night:

Basically, I carried on with the next section of background between the edge of the last page and the next tree trunk and brought it down to the bottom of that page. I stitched in part of the tree trunk too, as it will give me a good marker to work from.... and make it easier for you to see what's been added next time around. (Yes, I could hear you all groaning at that! LOL).

It's also the time for the monthly update over at the Stitcher's Showcase SAL Blog, so I do have something a little different to show you (Wow, I swear I almost heard a full on version of the Hallelujah Chorus then. ROFL). Here's where February's progress got to:

Am glad to have finished that central section as it gives a much better view of how the variegations in the Thai silk are stitching up... and I'm pretty pleased with it. If you have a look in the bottom right corner you can see the thread I'll be using for the next section of this design. I almost made a start on that earlier in the week but decided on making ME my priority instead. Who knows, I may decide to put a length or two of the thread into this tonight....... will see what mood takes me when I park my behind in my armchair later. Yes, it's good TV night tonight (Larkrise to Candleford and Seven Ages of Britain) so I shall be getting a serious case of Stitch Ass whilst they're on. :0)

The Great Car Hunt continued yesterday, with a slight change in the search, as DH said not to concentrate on new cars just so we can take advantage of the scrappage scheme, but to think of it as a search on two levels: one that includes the scrappage and one that doesn't rule any car out. OK, why didn't he tell me that to start with? I'd ruled out several older cars that I liked the look of because we wouldn't be able to take advantage of the scrappage scheme with them. So we went back to view some of the Used cars again that had taken my eye. I didn't like some of them when I sat in them because I was sat so low it would have been dangerous. Why do they make cars in such a way that you don't get a good view of even the bonnet, let alone the road ahead, because you can only just see over the dashboard?
Anyhow, the upshot is that the search may be over..... I rather liked a 2008 Kia Picanto Ice Special Edition, in a lovely icy blue colour (a cross between light blue/grey/silver) that has all the basics I wanted (air bag, air con, CD Player, adjustable drivers seat and the like). What I really like about it though is that it's a small car without being cramped, the drivers seat adjusts up (I can see the bonnet and the road!) and, more importantly, it doesn't have a foot of wheel arches sticking out of the sides, or half a mile of extra bumper front and back. Why do manufacturers add these on when all they are are hazards that are crying out to get scraped?! You've got to remember folks: I haven't been behind the wheel of a car in ten years.... and my last car was an original Mini. I loved that car, as I knew exactly where every bit of it was and I could get into any parking space without a problem.... I just wasn't so keen on the sick-making, bone jarring, boob-bouncing ride that comes from not having a decent suspension and the Council's not maintaining the roads. Yes, I'll be having refresher lessons before I venture out on the roads again... but I want that added confidence of knowing exactly where every edge of the car is because I want to avoid getting those scrapes. And because I really don't want DS taking the wee-wee and claiming men are better drivers! ;0) We should be going back to the garage to give it a test drive soon.

DS went over to Bradford on Saturday, with friends, to go and visit another friend who now lives and works there, and they all went out for curry and a few beers to celebrate the friends birthday. He's back now and has disappeared off to the theatre.... DH is already there, as it's the Get In for another amateur dramatics group and they're helping out. Yes, folks, the TV remote is all mine once again. You know, I could really get used to this! LOL

Right, time for me to go and catch up with blog reading and commenting, have something to eat (just me for an evening meal tonight) and then work on getting that Stitch Ass. :0)

Many thanks for visiting and for the kind comments you leave. Hope you have all been having a lovely weekend.... and that the week ahead is a good one. :0)

Update, Reveal and an Unveiling

2010-03-01T20:23:00.000Z

Another Sunday has gone by, more stitching done and another update posted on the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog.... so yes, that means yet another pic of Mother Earth to show:

This time I finished the bottom corner, to the right of the tree trunk, which means a whole page has been completed. Yay! I also made a start on infilling the background above the area where the stray thread is attached. I'm afraid it's going to be nothing but background infill of those trees for a while yet, so brace yourselves. LOL DH worked a second night shift last night (Sunday) so I've since got even more of it stitched.... those after 2am bedtimes are starting to get to me though. Thank goodness he doesn't have to work nights regular.... I think it would probably finish me off. Probably DH too. LOL

It was Reveal Day for the February Monthly Challenge over at JA/S&S Forum on Sunday too, so I can now show you what I stitched and finished for that:

Designer: Primitive Betty's

Design: Valentine, internet freebie

Fabric: 28ct evenweave, unknown make

Threads: DMC 310; 326 - stitched 1 over 1

Finish: Valentine's Day card

I turned the finished piece into a card for my DH and he seemed to like it. I love to see the varied finishes for the same design and if you would also like to you can see everyone's pieces here. Some more finishing ideas to pinch for future reference. LOL ;0)

With DH working nights there hasn't been a great lot of anything been done here, apart from my usual jobs. We did go out on the Great Car Hunt again and more makes of car have been crossed off my list, leaving a very small list of ones that I do like and would feel happy to drive. Nothing has really taken my fancy yet.... but there are a few more weekends to go before the scrappage scheme ends, so there's time yet. :0)

Nothing more done to the Craft Room.......... but I thought, as I don't want anyone to start foaming at the mouth in frustration (yes, you Barb ROFL), I'd finally stop the suspense and show a few pics of where things are at at the moment. This is a view of the finished laminate flooring and the rug I scored at our local market:

Then this is the view of the corner where the computer table is. This is where it will be staying, as it will allow me to nosey out of the window at the world going by. ;0) You can also see the new nets and one of the curtains, complete with tie-back:

It was a bright day, so it made taking pics of the window a real pain - that was the best one I got. Here's a better view of the computer table, in situ:

Ignore the bits in the bottom left corner... DH hadn't tidied his tools and things away at this point.... and I was too impatient to wait anymore to take the pics. LOL The two small shelves to the left and in the middle of the desk both slide out. I now have to find a comfortable seat to go in there, instead of the one I'm currently using - DH thinks the castors on a proper computer chair will damage the laminate, so we're on the look out for a rotating chair on legs, iykwim.

Here's a view of the pieces I currently have sat on the windowsill, with a better view of the pattern on the nets:

The little stand up picture was something I spotted at one of the local garden centres and thought it was perfect for my room and DH did too, as he bought it for me. In case you can't make it out, the saying is: Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. :0) And the Healing Crystal Angel that my DSis gave me for Christmas is temporarily homed there - much nicer to be watching over things from there, than cooped up in a box. :0)

There's still quite a bit to get organised yet but hopefully things will start to get back on track with it by the weekend... providing DH is back to normal working hours now, which depends on how things are going on the steelworks. Fingers crossed for problem free normality! LOL

Tomorrow I have an acupuncture treatment booked and then have my Development Circle in the evening. On Wednesday the plan is to go over to spend a few days at my DSis's again, as she is off work on a week's holiday, then be back some time over the weekend.... depending on when the chauffeur (DH) is available. Hopefully there'll be some stitchy updates to share when I'm back again.

And finally... the weather, although cold, was at least a little sunny and dry so I managed to spend a little time out in my garden today, pottering around. I can't tell you how good that felt! I thought I'd leave you with a couple of signs of Spring that I spotted whilst out there:

The little square of garden by the front door where those bright crocii bloom every year. So far the birds are leaving them alone. Then the dainty little snowdrops that are blooming in the back garden, close to the sun lounge wall.

Many thanks for taking the time to visit and for your kind comments. Hope you all had a gentle start to the week and are enjoying your own pretty signs of Spring. :0)

Stashing and Stitching

2010-02-26T21:47:00.000Z

I realised after my last post was uploaded that I hadn't shared a pic of the charts I acquired last week, thanks to a trade with Maggie. I just couldn't resist these:

More goodies to keep me busy. LOL If I'm going to have a hope of getting through a reasonable proportion of my stash before I turn up my toes I'm going to have to keep stitching every single day from now on and never mind the risk of getting calluses on my behind from all the sitting that will involve. I reckon it'll be worth it, don't you? ;0)

I've posted my February progress on Sea Stars over on the Ink Circles blog but I'll post it here too, in case you don't follow it:

More added to that huge central motif...... and Nessie has finally made an appearance. I wanted to get Nessie done so I would know where the bottom of this large design is - I reckoned that knowing just how far I had yet to go might just act as an incentive. Not sure that theory worked though, as I haven't managed to pick it up again since. Oh well....... I'll get there eventually. :0)

I'm a bit late showing last week's progress on Mother Earth too (although I did post progress on the Weekly Sal Blog), so here She is:

Yep, most of the confetti is now done and She's fully dressed. I reckon you'll all be seriously sick of seeing this before I get that major league Happy Dance. LOL I do love this piece though and seeing each progress pic is an incentive for me to keep on going. :0)

So, what else have I been up to? Well I've finally picked up my Angel Flora for the JA/S&S Forum's Just Nan SAL and have taken a picture to prove it. So, just in case you are getting fed up of seeing the same old same old, here it is:

The colours in this are just so pretty. Am finding that the Kreinik braid can be a bit of a pig to stitch with but it's worth the effort, as it does add a lovely bit of sparkle to this piece. I do like this, so am going to try and make more time for stitching it.

I also remembered to take a pic of the card I made for my MIL's birthday before posting it:

A waterfall card, which is something new to me. They are OK to make, and I think she'll like it, but they're not something I would rush to do again, as I much prefer other cardmaking techniques. I did succumb to buying some KanBan goodies the other day though... really useful for making some male oriented cards. I'll post pics when I've made them up.

This week I've also managed to finally catch up with writing all the posts on my alternative blog - quite a feat as I was well behind with it. All the news about my acupuncture treatments and Development Circle are on there, plus I do occasional write ups on the esoteric books I've been reading...... basically, it's about all the stuff that isn't related to my stitching and other crafts. Of course, writing all of those posts kept me from blogging here..... and I'm also behind with reading and commenting over on all your lovely blogs. I'm hoping to get caught up with all your news in the next few days.... I need to, as I'm off on my travels again shortly: my DSis has another week's holiday and I'll be going over to spend some time with her again. There were a few things we wanted to do on my last visit but didn't have the time for.... so we're hoping to do some of them this time. I'm probably going over next Wednesday (DH's work permitting, so he can be chauffeur) and will be back some time over the following weekend, so I'll be behind with blog posting and reading once again. LOL :0)

The Craft Room has ground to a sudden halt, thanks to DH's job. There was a fire on the steelworks that damaged quite a few essential cables etc and it's been chaos as they try to get the necessary repairs done to get things working again..... lost steel production costs the company huge amounts of money, so the pressure is on to fix things in the minimum amount of time. He's been pulling 13 hour days since last Friday, including over last weekend - no fun for him at all and results in no time or energy for doing jobs here. He did take a day off on Thursday, to comply with the EU directives on working hours, so we managed to do a little shopping in the local High Street and then went looking at cars. I haven't found anything I like yet.... though it has helped me work out which styles of cars I don't like at all and firm up some better ideas of what I would like. There are still quite a few local car dealers we haven't looked round yet.... it's just having DH around long enough for us to go looking. Hopefully, weather permitting, we may get chance to look again tomorrow but not for long, as he is going to have to work his first night shift in years on Saturday night. Now that is going to be weird and I guess I'll be getting a lot of stitching and/or reading done if I end up not being able to sleep. LOL

As for the Craft Room.... I have taken a few pics but I'll leave them for another post, as this one is already getting long enough. Insert evil laugh here, as I keep the suspense going a little longer. ;0)

Thank you for all your lovely comments - I really appreciate every one of them. I hope you all have a lovely weekend, whatever your plans are. :0)

This and That

2010-02-19T17:46:00.000Z

I've just realised that I haven't updated this blog yet.... that's what comes of only having 24 hours in a day and wanting to fit all kinds of things into it. LOL And on the same line of thought: who can believe that February is almost over already and where did it go to? I think I must have blinked and missed it! LOL

So what have I been up to? This and that, as the title says. The Craft Room now has a complete floor. Yay! DH and DS partially dismantled the computer table, so they could get it up the stairs and through the door, and put it back together again in there. It doesn't take up as much room as I feared, which is good, but it can't go into its final resting place as DH needs to go buy a special tool at the weekend, so he can then go round the flooring edging strip and whack the panel pins in further - when I asked why, he muttered something about them not catching anything and it looking better.... or something. Translation: Mr Perfectionist isn't happy with it just yet, he still needs to tinker. Talk about prolonging the agony! LOL Still, I got the nets up in there. I would have had the curtains up too but there weren't enough curtain hooks/gliders to do the job and it had to wait until I was down the street on Thursday, when I also found a floor rug in the perfect colour. We also had a trip out to The Range last weekend where I managed to buy some more storage bits and pieces for organising things. No luck finding a suitable storage cupboard yet but the search is still ongoing. No pics yet.... I want DH to finish his bit and have the table in the right place and the curtains up before I take some, than I'll share. :0)

I'll fess up to having the occasional eBay trawl.... and it's amazing how time just disappears when you're doing that. ;0) One of the bargains I got my hot little hands on was this:

I know it won't be to everyone's taste but there's just something about the pattern and colours that really appeals to me. Plus I thought it was time I tried something new in the finishing skills department.... and, who knows, I might even be able to make another one up from scratch and adapt it. Yeah, right! LMAO

I also bought a book that I reckoned would be quite useful to me:

LOL I decided to make up for the lack of information from the hospital. It's one of three books I've bought about the menopause. The hospital may have been happy to leave me to it and ignore the fact that I'm dairy intolerant, and therefore at more risk of developing osteoporosis in menopause than most women, but I'm not. Knowledge is power, after all. :0)

Then I've been having a ~~mental aberration~~ Domestic Goddess moment by having a Spring Cleaning session in the pantry (cupboard under the stairs). This has involved taking it a section at a time so it wouldn't get too overwhelming. I started with the slab (the biggest shelfed area) and brought all of the plastic storage containers and other accumulated stuff out, binned the worst stuff and washed the rest and wiped the whole area down. Then DS and I went through it all (keep it/get rid of it) and our friend Alex had some useful bits that were no good to us, two bags full went to one of his work colleagues (she's a cake decorator and always needs storage) and the well whittled down selection that was left went back in there. The window sill area got the same treatment.... there's still a whole wall of shelves to go at but my ~~mental aberration~~ Domestic Goddess moment has worn off a little just now as I've gone really tired again. I keep forgetting that I'm still recuperating from my operation and keep doing too much.

I've been going to my Development Circle every Tuesday night and that is going OK (some weeks are better than others). After the session on the 9th February DH and I decided to do some food shopping at the main Tesco. It was a useful trip as we didn't just come away with food.... I discovered they also have quite a nice little craft selection too and enjoyed a browse. OK, not just a browse...... I got these:

I don't have a huge lot of stash for making kiddies cards so indulged in those two packs, as well as a cardmaking magazine. I also got an A4 storage box (not shown) made by The Really Useful Box Company (there's also a USA website too). I wish Tesco stocked the whole range - I'd soon have my stash totally organised! LOL

Then I've been going to the Earth Energies Clinic once a week to have acupuncture treatment. This week was my third session and it seems to be going OK (details of that are over at my other blog). It does mean that I get a regular trip out each week and now I've moved the appointment from Tuesday's to Thursday's it means I have more time to wander round the shops and visit the local market - which I did this week and scored the rug for my Craft Room. :0)

As for my other blog... it got sadly negelected for a while there and I got really behind with it, so I've been concentrating on trying to get it up to date. It's going OK but it is time consuming... and another reason why this blog has been waiting for its update.

I did a little cardmaking too. Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the one that I sent to Barb for her birthday but you can see it over at her blog. I have still to finish the one I started for my MIL, so will post a pic when it's done.

I was also the recipient of a fab JN chart, over at the JA/S&S blog. Anne (no blog) had been kindly gifted the chart by Julie and, when she'd completed the design for the JN SAL, offered it up again on the forum and I was lucky enough to be first to ask for it:

It will be perfect for going in the sun lounge. And when I've stitched it I'll be offering it up on the forum again, to continue spreading the goodwill around. :0)

Oh, and I've even found some time for stitching too. Bet you were beginning to wonder, weren't you? LOL I made a start on my Just Nan Flora, prompted by the imminent finish of the Craft Room and move in, but I shall leave that pic for another time, as I'd like to get a bit more stitched on it first. Sea Stars has had a little more added to it but, again, I shall leave a pic for another time as I need to post a progress pic on the forum and the Ink Circles SAL blog first. The forum gets the update first as I don't want Julie sending Mr Stick round for a visit.... Wanda has already been on my case and she's a mean one when wielding that broom! LOL I also stitched and finished the JA/S&S Forum's February Challenge piece..... but that will have to wait until Reveal Day before I can show you all a pic. Sorry!

So that just leaves.... yes, you've guessed it.... Mother Earth progress to show you, so here she is:

This time around I infilled Her other arm, knocked off a few more of those random confetti stitches, added a little more to the background to the right of the tree trunk near her arm and almost got Her fully dressed..... and I love the colours in that dress. They looked a bit of a random mix when I first started stitching it but they really do work well together, creating the folds and look of a body underneath. I haven't managed to pick Her up yet this week so I'd best sit and stitch tonight, otherwise I'll be made to sit under the naughty chair.... and that'll be no fun at all when I'm dairy intolerant and can't have the choccies! LOL

Barb: I get the Thai silk threads from an eBay UK seller called thredfairy. You need to read the descriptions to check they are the ones suitable for cross stitch though, as she also sells threads that are just for embroidery and other forms of needlework. HTH. :0)

Many thanks for all your visits and for the kind comments - each one is very much appreciated. I hope you all have a good weekend - stay warm and safe all. :0)

Something Old, Something New and Something Blue

2010-02-08T21:53:00.000Z

Unfortunately there isn't a single wedding in sight, despite the title of this post.... but keep on reading to find out what it does actually refer to. :0)

First up is the something old: it was update time on the Weekly SAL blog on Sunday so it's time to bore you with yet another pic of my progress on that. Persevere though, as there's more to see after this. LOL

This time around I filled in a little more of the background area to the right of her arm, knocked off a few more of those confetti stitches in various places and made a start on Her dress. I am so glad I joined the ladies over at the SAL blog with this piece as it's really helping to keep me focused. :0)

As promised in my last post I have something new to show you. Well, actually, a couple of new things, thanks to a new start, an enabling JA/S&S Forum member and a little stash acquisition. :0) First up is the new start of A Bouquet for Cheryl:

Unfortunately I had to take a pic of this on one of the many dull, grey days we've been having lately..... and the digicam objects to taking close ups too. I'm quite pleased with how this is taking shape. The Thai silk is lovely to use and the colours in the variegation work nicely. I worked on this exclusively last night (Sunday) whilst watching Larkrise to Candleford and the Seven Ages of Britain and an episode of the new series of CSI Vegas. Yep, I got a serious case of Stitch Ass! LOL I made quite a bit of progress but the next reveal isn't until the beginning of March so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until then to see it. Sorry!

The new stash acquisition, which arrived last week, was a rather gorgeous piece of fabric from Sparklies called Pumpkin Patch.... so apt, considering the design I'll be using it for:

I haven't yet got the required thread for this so it won't be a new start just yet. I think it calls for WDW but I've spotted another one of those Thai silk threads that might just do the job instead..... am saving a few pennies so I can have a splurge. Well I don't want to go buying just one skein of thread when I can get several for the same amount of postage, now do I? Being a typical Yorkshire lass I do like to make sure I get full value for my money. ROFL

DH and I went shopping on Sunday, once again descending on the Edinburgh Woollen Mills shop within Brigg Garden Centre. This time I came away with two zip-up cardigans (can be used as a lightweight jacket on warmer Spring/Autumn days or cooler Summer evenings), two one-button cardigans (dress up or down type), a dressing gown and for Summer: two denim-look cotton blouses with pretty flower embroideries on them and denim-look cotton trousers. I'm all set for woollies now, so I can now Charity bag the last of the too-big ones left in my wardrobe. Yay! DH treated himself to a DVD and a CD. Whilst we were walking back through the Garden Centre I spotted some Paper Mania BOGOF bargains in the craft section:

As you can see they were just too pretty to resist. LOL I thought they would make great finishing trims for ornies...... so now I just need to stitch ones in appropriate colourways. :0)

And the something blue of the title? Well it isn't any rude jokes or links to porn sites, in case you were beginning to wonder ROFL. It's the stash for yet another new SAL I've joined. Yes, you read that right: another SAL I've joined. I'm not taking full blame for this though...... if Julia hadn't posted a progress picture of her completed first three parts of this gorgeous blackwork piece on JA/S&S Forum and her blog then I would have remained blissfully ignorant and just carried on plugging away at the same old pieces. But she did, along with a link to the Seba site.... so I went along for a nosey (as you do) and ended up joining the site and downloading the parts.... and a couple of other freebies. Of course, once I printed out the charts it led me on to thinking about what colour scheme I'd like to do it in........ which led on to delving in my stash for fabric and threads........ which resulted in this combination:

Another gorgeous variegated Thai silk and a DMC threads and 32ct Zweigart Vintage Blue fabric. The only thing that has stopped me from making a start on this is the indecision on which way round to use the threads: plain for the cross stitch borders of the blocks and Thai silk for the blackwork infill or vice versa????? Maybe I'll just toss a coin. LOL

I had hoped to be able to post a pic of DS's new wheels.... but it didn't stay in the drive long enough in the daytime over the weekend for me to take one. Hopefully next time.

So what else did we get up to over the weekend? Not a great lot. We stayed in Saturday and DH did a little more to the flooring while I did a few jobs and did some catching up with blogs on my reader (still some ways to go with that - I will get round to you all soon!) and some stitching. Sunday was the shopping trip in the morning. In the afternoon DH had a theatre tech meeting to go to for a couple of hours so I chilled with some more blog reading after putting some scrag end lamb chops in the oven to slowly braise, ready for our evening meal. Our evening meal was followed by that serious Stitch Ass session whilst DH laid the first two lengths of edging strip on the flooring. He's not as keen on Larkrise as I am, can you tell? LOL

Today (Monday) has been my regular jobs day and I was pleasantly surprised to realise that my stamina/energy levels have improved some: I managed to do all my jobs and two lots of laundry, then also vaccumed upstairs and the stairs plus made a start on sorting out the pantry (cupboard under the stairs) by binning some tatty old containers and washing a shed load of decent ones. I'd forgotten I'd got some of those storage containers so it was a voyage of discovery..... and there are a few there that will come in real useful for cardmaking stash storage. Score! I'm putting them to one side, ready for when the Craft Room is (finally!) finished and I start organising things as they go in there. If I'm not too tired tomorrow I shall finish washing the rest of the stuff that's still on the slab, wipe it all down and put a few of the bits back - then the rest of the shelves will be tackled later in the week. Slowly but surely this house is being decluttered, cleaned and organised. Yay!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and especially for the lovely comments you leave. Hope you are all having a good and productive time whatever you are doing. :0)

The Wanderer Returns

2010-02-03T23:54:00.000Z

Yes folks, I'm back home again after having a lovely time over at my DSis's, though I've since been busy playing catch-up with house jobs. Amazing how my two know how the washing machine works but didn't manage to use it while I was gone!

So what did the pair of us get up to? Well Wednesday we had a catch up natter, then DH went back home in the evening; Thursday we had a trip to the huge Tesco and did a bit of shopping in the daytime, then went to visit with our Aunty S and Uncle T in the evening. Uncle T is our Mum's DBro and he and Aunty S have my DSis over to visit regularly but I don't get to see them very often, so it was lovely to have a catch up. Plus Aunty is a superb cook and the meal we had was very tasty! :0) On Friday we went to visit friends of the family in the morning and in the afternoon our SIL picked us up and took us back to her and our DBro's house: lots of chat and laughter, I got to see my niece and nephew and we all had a lovely meal as a celebration for our nephew's 8th birthday. I made a card for him to take with me:

Unfortunately I chose a Power Rangers theme and it's actually Transformers that are all the rage now. Now my DS is all growed up I'm afraid I just don't keep up with these things anymore. LOL My DH drove over to us and he drove the three of us back to DSis's house, where we stayed for another night. On Saturday the three of us went shopping to the Outlet, so DH actually helped me spend his money as well. LOL Among the haul were: undies, socks, shoelaces, a Jensen Button book and a replacement powertool blade for DH; thermal vests, a nightie, slippers, FlyFlot socks and a pair of dressy shoes for me; healthy foodstuffs from Julian Graves; some herbal teas from Whittards, as well as a fab Sugar Container (I never met a calorie I didn't like, on the side LOL) which I bought for my DSis as part of her birthday gift; Lock'n'Lock boxes for our kitchen; a pop-up tidy bag and a wheeled storage container with a seat for the garden (can store a trowel and hand fork, tie backs etc, so I'll have them all to hand and be able to sit whilst working, when I can get out there again); and I treated myself to a beautiful dragonfly brooch from Past Times (and paid less than that too!) and some books. Well, I couldn't go to the Outlet and not go in the bookshop, could I? ROFL Here's what I succumbed to:

Can you see a bit of a theme developing there? LOL And these as well:

Even better: all those plus DH's book for a little over £20 - not a bad bargain at all! LOL We had a break for dinner part way through the day and took my DSis to the pub for a belated birthday meal - another tasty one. DSis also took time to pop into work to see everyone and they were delighted to see her and told her they were looking forward to her going back the following Monday. Another positive that has come out of all this recent business: my DSis now knows how much she's thought of by everyone she works with. :0)

DH and I travelled home late Saturday night. Whilst at my DSis's we'd had a belated Christmas gift giving (I wasn't able to go over beforehand due to my op) so, as well as all the shopping and our overnight bags, there were our gifts to bring back too. Here is my gift from our Aunty D and Uncle W:

Both books just perfect for me. Now all I need is an extra couple of hours in the day to fit in all this extra reading I need to do. LOL This was part of my gift from my DSis and isn't she gorgeous?

She's the Healing Crystal Angel and is destined to go in my Craft Room until the sun lounge is decorated and I can set up a proper Angel Altar in there. :0) DH was very happy with his bottles of whisky, which will keep him going with tots for some time. LOL

On Sunday DH carried on with the Craft Room flooring (Guinness Book of Records here he comes - I reckon he's trying for the Longest Ever DIY job LOL) and I started sorting the first of three laundry loads. It was also time for posting a Mother Earth update on the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog. Here's where I left off this time round:

Tattoos fully infilled, the area to the right of Her arm partially filled and a little more done to the dress. Not huge progress but, bearing in mind I'd not been feeling well and also had a break over at my DSis's, better than what I thought I'd manage....... and a little progress is better than none. :0)

I also made another card, before I went off on the visit, which I sent to Julie. Thought I'd share:

I also need to make a couple of birthday cards this month, so the cardmaking stash will be coming out to play again soon. :0)

Unfortunately, despite taking two stitching projects away with me, I didn't manage to put a single stitch into either of them, so no pics of them to show. Still, it was fun getting out and about so I'm not complaining...... I'll just have to make up for the lack of stitching now I'm back! LOL

This week I've had a trip to the Clinic for my first ever acupuncture session. She only used six needles but it did give me an inkling in to what pincushions must feel like..... and from now on I shall be much more gentle with the poor, abused things! LOL I shall do a write up about it on my other blog at some point.

In case you're getting bored with seeing the same old projects every time you come to visit: take heart, I will have something different to show you next time around. There's a new piece started that I can now post a pic for and, if it ever stays in the drive long enough in the daytime for me to take a pic of it, my DS's new pride and joy to show you all.

Thank you for all the lovely comments, especially the well wishes my DSis - they all mean a great deal. Hope you are all staying safe and warm and enjoying lots of stitchy time. :0)

Going Visiting

2010-01-27T11:10:00.000Z

Just to let you all know that I'm still around and life has got a whole lot less stressful this week. :0)

The situation with my DSis has been sorted and things are settling down again for her, thank goodness! I am also feeling much better too, as the bug seems to have run its course.... and the easing of the stress has also helped. The hot flushes and night sweats have dropped back to being manageable again too, so that is something else I'm grateful for. Those Angels really work some powerful mojo! :0)

DH and DS went to look at a car the other night and are back there this morning to give it a test run. If all goes well they should be able to pick it up tomorrow, so DS will have wheels once more. That will ease off the pressure from DH, as he's been taking DS to work each morning and picking him up most evenings too.

And the going visiting? I'm off to stay with my DSis for a few days so we can chill together......... and the first thing I'm going to do when I get there is give her a huge hug! LOL The last week may have been stressful for me but it has been a hell of a rollercoaster ride for her. Hopefully having her help me spend some of my DH's cash on some much-needed new shoes and some bits we need for the house will help towards getting her mind off the recent events and back to normal....... it'll certainly work for me. ROFL I will probably be back some time on Saturday. And who knows, I may even have some stitchy updates to share. :0)

Thank you for the very much appreciated well wishes. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the week and have a happy and fun-filled weekend. :0)

Here She is Again

2010-01-24T18:58:00.000Z

It's that time of the week again so it's time to show the latest update on Mother Earth. Unfortunately there's not a great lot of progress this time around as I've not been feeling too well all week and my DSis is having a crisis and is needing a lot of support while it gets sorted out.

So, without further ado, here She is:

In case you were wondering where exactly I've stitched: the tattoos on Her arm have been infilled; so have the confetti stitches up the side of it, as well as some of the ones up the side of Her chest; more of the area under Her arm has been done and a start made on the dress. Not huge progress...... but every little helps, as they say. :0)

You might guess that not much else stitching-wise has been done........ and you'd be right. LOL Sea Stars didn't get to come out to play and I haven't finished the Monthly Challenge piece or even started the Just Nan SAL piece. I'll get to them eventually.

I'll be going to stay with my DSis for a few days next week, when I should have (hopefully) shaken off this bug, to give her some more moral support. Mother Earth will be staying home, as it's too much hassle to take my magnifying lamp visiting too, but am trying to get a bit done on it before I go so there'll be an update to show next Sunday, as I should be back by then. I'll probably take Sea Stars and my Just Nan piece with me, in the hopes of getting at least a few stitches in. :0)

As for other news: my DS's classic Mini failed it's MOT big time earlier in the week, so is now off the road. It's uneconomical for him to fix it, so the hunt is on for another set of wheels.... it's pretty urgent too, as he needs to be mobile to be able to get out to work. Buses going out that way are few and far between and there's no one at work he could offer to car share with, as they all live in other areas, so it's going to be a combination of DH setting off earlier in the morning's to take him or DS paying for a taxi to take him in. DH went out with him today for a trawl round some of the local garages (car lots)...... and guess what they'll be doing next weekend too. Plus DS and his girlfriend broke up Saturday night, though it was mutually agreed to do so. Shame, as she was a nice lass, but if they're not suited then they're not suited.

The appointment with my herbalist on Saturday resulted in her suggesting that we've gone as far as we can with the herbs and that, at this point, I would benefit more from a course of acupuncture treatment to help with the menopause symptoms that are really starting to kick off now. I'm booked in for my first session in a couple of weeks time...... so I shall finally get to find out what a pincushion feels like! ROFL The Reiki session I had after my herbalist appointment was very gentle and really helped me to relax. I'm hoping Aureen will teach us a little about this at the Development Circle, as I'd love to be able to use the technique on myself and my loved ones when life throws out these curve balls. :0)

Meantime, I remind myself that though things are a tad stressful at the moment, life is a whole lot worse in other areas of the world..... and I count my Blessings once more and remember to do some of that positive thinking (thanks Julie :0) ).

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for leaving your kind comments. Hope you've all had a good weekend and that life is full of Blessings for you. :0)

Mother Earth Update

2010-01-19T15:39:00.000Z

The update for the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog was posted on Sunday so I thought it was about time I posted a pic here too, just in case you didn't get to have a wander over there yet for a look-see. :0)

This time I concentrated mostly on filling in the skin areas, with the occasional foray into the annoying confetti stitching realm........ after a while those little white patches in the middle of all the colour get to bugging me enough to make me persevere and not mind all that tail-end thread weaving on the back. Weeeellll..... not quite so much. LOL The rainbow will have to keep its white patches for a while longer though because I just can't work out which of the two very similar symbols it's meant to be when the only difference is that one is a bit thicker than the other. Unfortunately that similar symbol thing has been a big issue with this chart, despite DH getting the pages enlarged to an unwieldy A3 size........ until that beloved magnifying lamp came into my life. It has proved to be a gem with that too. Yep, I can now see the difference between most of the similar symbols...... apart from the one on that flippin' rainbow! Now curious, as this is my first HAED so I don't have anything to compare it with: has anyone else had a similar problem with their HAED chart?

The old stitching mojo seems to have decided that, yes, it definitely is going to stay around for a while, so I've been taking full advantage of it. The Monthly Challenge piece has had a fair bit of attention lately..... though it doesn't seem to be growing that fast, despite this. That has been another pain in the butt chart too, overcome by sitting at the computer and looking at the online version and writing notes on my print-out as to what bit is supposed be stitched in which colour. It certainly reminded me as to why I waaaaaaayy prefer symbol charts! Oh, and this is another piece I can't show you all as it has to wait until Reveal Day. Sorry!

Are there any Ink Circle Designs fans out there who are thinking of stitching The Bramble and the Rose? Well, some of the girls over at the Ink Circle Stitchers Blog are going to be having a SAL with this one around March time. I say around because, by the sounds of it, they are all itching to get going and may just jump the gun a bit. LOL They say the more the merrier, so you'd be welcome to join in. I'm trying so hard to resist temptation with this one as I already have a few BAP's on the go......... but I can't help wondering if I might just have finished Sea Stars by then and have an empty scroll frame that will cry out for another project to go on it. ;0) ROFL

As for other things: the Panto is now finished so the chaps are around again - exit the peace and quiet and being boss of the TV remote every night.... right when I was getting used to being in charge of it too. LOL Still, it's worth the losses as it meant that two more panels of the flooring got layed last night. I am sure DH is trying to see just how long he can make this one job last..... and just how far my patience will go. Not too much further, I can tell you, as it was supposed to have been finished before Christmas. I want to start moving things into my new Craft Room and get everything organised NOW! Oops.... guess I'd better keep on working at that patience thing. ;0)

The Development Circle went well last week (have updated my other blog now) and I'm looking forward to tonight's session and seeing what's in store. DH will enjoy his night off and a half in the pub while I'm there. Hopefully I'll not be too tired to pick up Sea Stars after I get back - I need to get some stitches into it or Julie and Mr Stick will be on my case. :0)

Thank you for visiting and also for all the lovely comments you take the time to leave - they are very much appreciated. Hope you are all enjoying some serious stitchy time. :0)

Lousy Weather = Lots of Stitching

2010-01-15T19:47:00.000Z

Well the worst of the snow may have thawed around here but the lousy weather continues with one lot of freezing rain earlier in the week (not pleasant), the occasional foggy session and now it's back to rain, rain and more rain, with a little added wind chill added to the mix, just in case we weren't already shivering in our shoes (which I am..... when I'm not having a temporary tropical moment LOL). I yearn to get out into my garden but it's just not feasible right now........ so what else is a girl to do when she's cooped up indoors? Well, what else but get one serious case of Stitch Ass, of course (thanks Siobhan - I love that phrase. LOL)

Bouquet for Cheryl is coming along nicely but I can't show an update until 5th February, so am afraid you'll just have to take my word for it for now. ;0) Then Mother Earth has had more of those little x's added too. Oh, what a blessing that bargain magnifying lamp has been! It sure has helped me get to grips with a lot more of that 1 over 1 stitching..... and it's great knowing that I can do it without worrying that I might go blind in the process. The next update for ME is Sunday, so it's another wait for that too.

What I can show you is my first stitching progress update of 2010 for Sea Stars, as it's grown enough to be worth showing a pic. A pic of how it looked before can be seen here and this is how it looks now:

Two small motifs added (one to the left and one to the right), a medium-sized motif to the right, another rainbow fish and a bit more added to the very large central motif. Doesn't look a great lot when you see it like this but some of those motifs do seem to need alot of stitching to them to make them grow. I almost succumbed to making a start on one of those fabulous seahorses, as I do love them, but made myself stop and save them for another time..... otherwise I'd want to keep going with them and finish up not get anything else stitched. :0)

Last night I cut my fabric for the Just Nan SAL piece and marked the centre. As the centre panel of the Angel's dress is 1 over 1 I decided to count up and start elsewhere on the over 2 areas....... but the Most Haunted Live programme proved too much of a distraction and there were miscounts galore. OK, did not want to start in the wrong place, so it got put away again rather than a start made. It will come out again soon though, as I need to get on with it before the end of this month. It'll be nice to have something new to show you all, too - don't want you to get bored with seeing the same pieces over and over again. LOL

No start made on this month's ornie for the continuing JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Christmas Ornie SAL yet but I have got a design picked out for this and it's a small one, so shouldn't take long to do. Am also cheating for this.... but I'll leave the how and what until it's finished and I've posted a pic so you can see for yourselves. LOL Oh, and guess I'd better do something about finishing off the ornies that I stitched at the back end of last year at some point too.

The JA/S&S Monthly Challenge piece is a non-starter so far too. I've now got the threads I needed, thanks to Sew & So, but the colour chart is defeating me..... so guess I'll have to pluck up some courage and stitch my own interpretation of it.

I shall have all of Saturday to myself this week, as DH and DS will be at the theatre all day: there are three performances through the day, then the Get Out in the evening (that's when they break down the set, remove everything and take it all back to the Guild Room to store). They'll be out just after 10am and I'll be lucky to see them again before 1am. The Panto seems to be doing well, as they've had a sell out/near sell out most nights. I haven't managed to see it yet: the best night for me to have gone was last night (Thursday) but by the time DH and I had had our shopping session at the local garden centre's Edinburgh Woollen Mills area I was shattered and on the verge of falling asleep in my chair. Whoda thought that buying clothes could be so tiring? LOL Still, I now have four tops, three cardigans, four zip-up fleeces and a pair of trousers to add to my very depleted wardrobe...... it'll be so nice to have a choice of clothes that actually fit! LOL So Saturday will more than likely see some boredom-busting stitching being done. ;0)

Have also been having a bit of a nosey through my stash, with a view to resurrecting the NAY Basket (Not Another Year) and getting a few more pieces kitted up ready for going in there. The trawl came up with a fab Halloween chart I'd forgotten I'd got (as you do LOL): A Spot of Halloween by Midnight Stitching. With kitting up in mind, I ordered a lovely piece of Pumpkin Patch fabric from Sparklies today....... and I have a feeling that this piece might just end up as my second new start (not counting smalls) of 2010. This year I will be organised!

Oh, and the Development Circle went ahead this week, thanks to the thaw, and it was good to see the girls again - though one of our number has had to drop out since I last attended, which is a shame. I shall get around to doing a write up on my other blog about that at some point soon, for those that are interested.

Well that's all for now, especially as my stitching is calling loudly. The blog reading/commenting catch-up is going well, with only a few more blogs still to be visited - so if you're still owed a visit I'll be by soon.

Thank you for visiting and for all the kind comments. Hope you all have a lovely weekend, whatever your plans are. :0)

Cards Galore and Stitching Progress

2010-01-10T15:28:00.000Z

Before the festivities I managed to have a bit of a cardmaking fest, spread over a few days as the stamina was only up for so much standing around. I made four Christmas Cards, some of which were sent out to Forum/Blogging friends. This one I sent to Lynn:

This one to Barb:

This one to Sally:

This one to Karen, I think (sorry, brain fart moments are coming thick and fast, thanks to the menopause!):

Then there were a couple of birthday's too. Our friend Alex's birthday was on Christmas Eve, so I made a card for her and had great fun using one of my Celtic style stamps, embossing powder and peel-offs:

I made this card a while ago and the colours immediately made me think of Karen, so that's where it went off to earlier this month:

Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the birthday card I sent to Sally but you can see a pic here (scroll down a little).

I received some lovely handmade festive cards from family and friends too:

The large blue one was made by my DSis, the fairy card by my PenPal Maggie, Let it Snow card by Helen, the stitched card by Jayne (no blog) and the snow wording card at the front by our friend Alex. Aren't they all fab? BTW, you are getting a sneak peek of my new computer table in that pic. LOL

Next up is the promised update of the progress made on Mother Earth. This pic is where I got up to by last Sunday (3rd), ready for posting on the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog:

I've been stitching on her again since, so there's even more progress and, as I've already posted the update on the SAL Blog, I'll post another pic here too:

When I'm stitching this it can seem like there's not been much progress made..... then I look at the pics together like this and see the noticeable difference. As the Most Haunted Live 7-Night Special started last night (Saturday) it means I shall be parked in my armchair from 9pm every night to watch it..... which guarantees plenty of time to stitch some more on this and my other SAL pieces. :0) The timing of this Special is perfect, as DH and DS are going to be out most nights, as they are involved with the Pantomime production that starts at the theatre this week. Normally I'd have to listen to DS moaning about it being on...... now I won't. LOL

I made a start on the Bouquet for Cheryl SAL earlier in the week but I can't post an update yet, as the first posting date for that isn't until next month.... plenty of time to get a bit more done. In case you haven't had a mosey over there and seen a pic of my choices for this already, I thought I'd post one here too:

Initially I was just going to use the top thread for this but once I got the chart printed out I changed my mind (it's allowed - I'm a woman! LOL). I've broken some stitching rules with this piece, as the top thread is a Thai silk and the lower one is a Carrie's cotton but the design immediately made me think of contrasts and I wanted the thread to reflect this. I'm doing this 1 over 1 on a 28ct fabric - unfortunately I'm not sure what fabric it is, as the label has disappeared. I'm really pleased with how it's stitching up so far.

I have yet to make a start on the Just Nan SAL piece but will get around to that soon. The Sew and So order I was waiting for (Floss-Away bags and some DMC) has arrived, so I can carry on with my thread sorting and make a start on the JA/S&S Challenge piece...... or at least I can if I can suss out the colour only chart enough to work out which thread I'm supposed to use for which bit, as my printer has made some of the colours much too similar!

I've had my trip to see my Herbalist and now have some new tablets and potion, though the diet is staying much the same. There's a more detailed post on that on my other blog, if you're interested. I was pleased to find that, despite my thinking otherwise, I hadn't put any weight on since my op, despite not being able to move around as much as usual, but had stayed the same. :0) Once this cold snap ends I shall start making a better effort towards getting to my next goal. Fingers and everything else crossed! :0)

If I haven't visited your blog recently I will be doing, as I'm slowly catching up. Some of you have been very chatty, as there were over 400 posts in my Bloglines! I've got down to around 300... but you can see there's a ways to go yet. LOL

Many thanks for visiting and taking the time to leave your lovely comments. Hope you are all staying safe and warm and getting lots of stitching done. :0)

Generous Friends...... and More

2009-12-30T00:04:00.008Z

Our festive season was very quiet this year, partly due to my recuperation but also because DH caught some kind of lergy and wasn't feeling too great. I knew he was ill when I cooked him a lovely meal, gave it to him and he just sat there, with his head in his hands, looking at it....... not the usual approach at all. He eventually ate it but it took him about an hour to get through it, Bless him. He's now feeling (and eating) much better but has been to the GP, due to still coughing and having a sinus infection, and has some antibiotics to take. So far, thank goodness, I've managed to avoid it....... probably due to the no kissing ban I put in place as soon as his sniffles started. LOL

Santa, in the guise of a postman, came to visit several times on the run up to the 25th and brought several packages from kind and generous friends, so I had a lovely time opening them all on the day. I have to share, as they are all lovely. :0)

Remember the Santa in the previous post that Julie sent? Well she had also been very busy with her knitting needles because inside Santa was this fab stocking and inside that were some extra surprises:

I do love handmade gifts, appreciating the time and skill used to make them, and this one was a very festive gift indeed. The stocking was hung from the wrought ironwork piece that stands on the hearth in our living room (the piece you get a glimpse of when I take pics of hanging ornies) and it will be coming out every year from now on. Thank you again Julie. :0)

The surprise package that came from Sew & So was courtesy of Barb and she knows my tastes so well:

I have had my eye on the blackwork Angel chart for a while and Barb very generously included not only the threads to stitch her but also the lovely and seriously cute Cherubs hanger to display the piece on, once completed. I didn't know you could get that hanger so it was a double surprise. Oddly enough, I've been fancying starting another larger blackwork piece for a while but just couldn't settle on which one to do......... now I have. LOL Thank you again Barb. :0)

To continue in the Angel theme, here is the fab gift I received from Karen:

Sorry about the poor pic - the light here has been bad and my digicam just can't do close ups. This was another goodie I'd had my beady eye on for some time.... and kept on resisting temptation, because the money was needed elsewhere, so you can guess how delighted I was on opening the wrapping. *big beaming smile* And guess which project I will "christen" it on? Yep, on Barb's blackwork Angel piece, of course. LOL Thank you again Karen. :0)

The delights just kept on coming too. Remember the Mary Queen of Scots sampler chart I received in a trade a few months back? Well guess what I got from Helen that go with it perfectly?

I really like a lot of Mary Hickmott's work, especially the Tudor age range of cross stitch and blackwork pieces she's produced, and this one is no exception. I have plans to eventually stitch this and the sampler and display both together, so that'll keep me nicely occupied for some time. LOL Thank you again Helen. :0)

Last, but not least, of the gifts from Forum/Blogger friends was received from Clare and it had a selection of goodies inside:

The lavender and lilac pot pourri smells gorgeous and I plan on sharing it between my Craft Room and bedroom. The fabric is perfect for my favourite type of designs (a fairy, snowman or Angel) and the thread is an absolutely gorgeous colour. I shall enjoy choosing just the right projects for these. Thank you again Clare. :0)

I felt very spoiled after opening them. Thank you to each of you for your kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity - I consider myself truly Blessed to call you all my friends. :0)

Another parcel was from my long term PenPal Maggie (no blog):

Aren't those rose petal soaps just so pretty? Far too pretty to use, so I've decided to have them on a shelf in my Craft Room (when it's completed) to look at, until I can bear to use them. Look at the trendy jewellery too. I don't know how Maggie did it, as she didn't know about it, but they go perfectly with a blouse I bought at the last M,B&S event I went to, which is another floaty sleeved top in a rich brown, with black hints - not a Jordash one but in a similar style.... but no shisha mirrors in sight this time. LOL

DH will be giving me money, as I asked for, as I'm still saving towards the Shamballah Healing Course, based at the local Alternative Healing Clinic I go to, that I want to do in the Spring. DS gave me the latest Tudor series DVD, to go with the full series of Rome DVD's that were shared between my birthday and Christmas. Christmas will be extended for us this year too, as we have yet to exchange gifts with my DSis, the in-laws and my aunt, uncle and cousin. Due to my recuperation, the lergy and the weather we had to postpone the planned trips to see them all - gutted, as I was looking forward to see them. Hopefully the weather will let-up before too much longer and we can go visit soon. :0)

As we were indoors for much of the holidays it meant a reasonable amount of stitching got done. The focus piece was Mother Earth, as I wanted to have a reasonable amount done, ready for the first posting date (January 3rd) over at the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog. It worked well...... though I doubt there'll be quite so much progress to show in successive weeks, as 1 over 1 stitching just doesn't grow very fast. I shall post a pic of ME another time though, as the updates haven't yet been posted on the SAL Blog.

Oh, and remember how I said that I wasn't going to sign up for too much in the new year because I didn't want to pressure myself too much? Eeeeerrrrmmmmm........ weeeelllllll......... that resolution kinda didn't last too long. Honestly I just couldn't help it. I mosied on over to Stitcher's Showcase yesterday and spotted that Elisa was organising a SAL for the lovely piece A Bouquet for Cheryl. Just one look at that design and an image of some gorgeous silk threads I had from eBay's thredfairy - just absolutely perfect for it - popped into my mind. That was it........ I found I'd posted a request to join the SAL and Blog before I'd had chance to draw breath again, let alone think it through. So it looks like I may just have to work out some kind of rota to make sure everything gets fitted in, doesn't it? LOL

The plan to catch up with the Christmas ornie SAL almost worked: I got up to November, as far as stitching went, but only managed to finish a couple of them. Hopefully the finishing mood will take hold soon and then I shall share pics of them.

As for other things....... DH, once he felt a tad better, got on with the flooring in my Craft Room and has half of it laid so far. Today he cut the board that fits up to the door jamb and did the edge sealing on that (all edges are having watered down PVA glue daubed on them, in case I spill anything in there - he's a belt and braces type of man). The final half should go pretty quickly now.

We have had a couple of trips out. One of them was to a DIY store where we bought a light fitting for the CR and discovered they'd sold out of the computer table I wanted, so we had an unexpected drive over to the Doncaster branch to pick up the last one in the whole of this area. No time to call in at my DSis's though, as DS had to be back for a Panto rehearsal. I was really glad to get the table though, as I haven't seen another one that I like half as much....... needless to say, both DH and I were shattered afterwards. I fell asleep in my armchair for two solid hours after that and slept solid when I went to bed that night! I may be nicely healed now but the stamina is slow to improve, so I very easily get tired at the moment - very frustrating. I go to see Jan, my Herbalist, tomorrow (Monday) so I shall discuss that, and the "tropical moments" I am now having, with her and see what delightful concoction she comes up with to sort me out this time around. :0)

DH is off back to work tomorrow (Monday) so I shall be able to go back to my regular routine and start having a catch up with all your blogs then - though with all the snow we've had it does get bitterly cold in here, so it may well end up taking a while as I'm limiting the amount of time I spend here. Thankfully that will greatly improve once the Craft Room has been commissioned - there's a BIG radiator in there, so it stays nice and warm. :0)

Thank you for all the festive greetings and I hope that you also had an enjoyable festive season and that this New Year brings much Peace, happiness and prosperity to one and all. :0)

Santa and Sea Stars

2009-12-24T12:51:00.007Z

As promised, another post to show the early Santa deliveries I received during the week, along with that Sea Stars update. I wouldn't want you to think that I'd just been pulling your leg about it. ;0) Well, it's been that long since I have worked on it you would be quite within your rights to think I was kidding. LOL

First up is the adorable surprise I received from Julie:

Isn't he a cutie? He is now hanging on the door handle of the living room, making the place look festive. There's also another surprise inside but I am being good and have left it in there, to be opened on the 25th. Thank you Julie, I love him and am looking forward to finding out what secret he's hiding. :0)

There were a few other surprises arrived too, from Helen, Clare, Karen and my PenPal Maggie:

There was also an intriguing delivery from Barb which didn't make it onto the pic and I daren't get it out of the wardrobe to take one now as I'll be able to see what's in there and I want to keep it as a surprise until tomorrow. Roll on tomorrow, when I can open them all! Yes, I know - I'm a big kid really. LOL Thank you again ladies. :0)

As for the festivities: all the preparations that needed to be done are now done. DH popped down the street for a couple of last minute bits and pieces, then drove out to one of the local farm shops to pick up our New Year turkey and other bits and pieces, the Veg Box lady brought our veggies earlier and the duck is defrosting nicely, so all the foodstuffs are organised.

The tree hasn't made it out of the loft this year but DH and DS did get on with cutting to size all of the new flooring for my Craft Room instead, so I'm not complaining. Unfortunately a case of man flu has stalled the actual laying of the floor for now but it won't take long to do, once DH feels better..... and hopefully we shall hit the sales and get the new computer desk between Christmas and New Year, ready for starting the mammoth task of moving things in there in January. Yay!

My stitching has been going much more smoothly. Yes, the mojo has definitely had enough of its wanderings and has decided to stick around. Double Yay! LOL The first thing to benefit was Sea Stars which has now had the rest of the left hand frogged motif re-stitched in the right place and here's the proof:

In the post-frog lull I'd forgotten just how much fun this piece is to stitch. I've been a member of the Ink Circles SAL Blog, run by Rachael, for a while and have enjoyed watching everyone's progress on their various IC pieces (would you believe, I'd forgotten all about this SAL when I did my previous post - another brain fart moment!). This year Rachael has altered the blog to make it a monthly SAL update, so this will make doubly sure that I make progress on Sea Stars now. As an added bonus and incentive for all those participating: those members that post an update pic on the blog at least 10 months out of the twelve will go into an end of year draw for a little prize. How nice is that? :0)

So if you are an Ink Circles fan and have a piece you'd like to see progress well in 2010, why not come on over and join in the fun?

Whilst I was taking the above pic I got curious and wanted to remind myself of how much I'd actually stitched on it already, so had a bit of an unroll of the scroll frame. I can't unroll the whole lot as the fabric is stitched onto the frame but this should give you a general idea:

Way more than I remembered! LOL There's still quite a bit to go yet though, so those UFO Night and SAL girls will have plenty of chances to kick my butt into action, should it start flagging again. ;0)

In the meantime I've been cracking on with those Christmas ornies, in an effort to catch up. Would you believe that there is just one more, for December, left to stitch? Mind, there's still a whole lot of finishing off left to do..... so there aren't any pics to show just yet, as I prefer to leave those until they are all proper ornies. Guess what I'll be doing over the holidays? Guess I'd best go make a start then, hadn't I?! LOL

Thank you to all those who visit and to those that leave comments. May you all have a happy festive season full of Blessings, however you choose to celebrate it. :0)

Happy Yule

2009-12-21T15:50:00.000Z

Yuletide Blessings to one and all.

Stitching Plans - 2010 SAL's

2009-12-16T17:15:00.007Z

Now I'm feeling more like my usual self I thought I'd share a few stitching plans with you in this post, so you'll have an idea of what will be in store for the coming months, especially in 2010.......... which, I guess, will let you decide whether it's worth sticking around. LOL

As I mentioned in my last post I've joined the 2010 Weekly Stitch Along Blog, thanks to Gaynor, and I nominated my HAED Mother Earth piece. When I checked back for a pic I got a real shock when I realised that the last time I worked on this was way back in October..... 2008. Ooooopps! Now when I started this project I knew it would be a long term one but hadn't reckoned on it being quite this long term.... and heading towards official UFO status. So it's a good job I nominated it, isn't it? Here's where the stitching stopped back then:

There's an awful lot left to go but am sure the Blog Ladies will keep my nose to the grindstone with it. LOL Plus, the fact that I've now got the magnifier lamp will help things along too. It does help if you can actually see what you're stitching! The first official update for this is Sunday 3rd January, so guess how I'll be seeing in the New Year. ;0) If you haven't yet checked out the SAL Blog please have a look, as there are lots of beautiful projects that the members will be stitching on - very nice eye candy. :0)

As Mother Earth will be going into the Weekly Blog SAL slot that leaves Tuesday UFO Night, over at JA/S&S Forum vacant. Now some weeks I may just carry on with ME for this but there are a number of other projects I'd like to see progress now, and one in particular....... so for this I'm going to bring Sea Stars out again. (About time, I can hear Barb say. LOL) This fell by the wayside after a particularly sickening frogging episode that really spoilt the fun of the piece (anyone else feel like that?). This is where it was left off, post frogging session:

This is another piece that really needs to progress - it is now embarrassingly overdue, as Barb and Rosanne, the other SAL members, have long since finished theirs. Could this be my first large finish of 2010? That would be so good! :0)

New for 2010 is the JA/S&S Forum's Just Nan SAL. Now this particular SAL was inspired by seeing Julie's progress on her beautiful JN WIP piece Lady Scarlet. The SAL is an open one - in other words, you can stitch any JN design you want to - and the choices are varied. This is going to be another lovely one to watch, as well as participate in, whilst all those beautiful pieces develop. So what was my choice for it? This:

Flora, one of the Angels, which I chose because she will look lovely in my new Craft Room (whenever it gets finished! LOL). I'm using all the recommended DMC threads and Mill Hill beads - the only change I've made is to the fabric, which is Polstitches Sky High 28ct hand dye instead of the Antique White evenweave. Quite appropriate, I thought. :0)

I am going to be really careful of how many Challenges and other things I sign up for in 2010 as I don't want to overload myself and end up with the disappearing mojo problem again. If there's a Christmas ornie one going I will probably succumb to it, as my eventual aim is to have enough handmade ornies to fill our big tree, leaving the little metal tree for just blackwork ornies. The LHN ornie SAL tempted me but I decided to pass on it because the mojo was still awol and my cash is currently wanted elsewhere. Hopefully the one on JA/S&S Forum will continue..... and hopefully I'll actually keep up with it too. LOL

Health wise, as I said, I am doing better. Going upstairs no longer feels like a trek up the face of Everest and it doesn't hurt any more when I do it - good job because I've not been taking any painkillers for about 4/5 days now (started to get a paracetamol induced headache). The only thing that does hurt is sneezing, so I try not to do that too often. ;0)
Lifting and carrying is still banned, so I leave the heavy stuff to the menfolk - that includes asking the parcel delivery folks to bring boxes in for me, which they are happy to do when I explain that I've had an op and still have stitches in that I really don't want to pull. You can almost see some folks faces go green, so it's quite amusing really. Eheheh.
I go to the GP tomorrow for my post-op check up, seeing the nurse I know, as I'm comfortable with her....... and she'll take the time to answer any questions I have. She's also had the same op, so I know, from her own experiences, that she can give me a good idea of what to expect next. Although I have been having a few of those "power surges" already, though thankfully they are fairly mild at the moment. Maybe I won't need those Damart thermals after all. ROFL Fingers crossed for a clean bill of health. :0)

The blog reading catch up is almost complete - if I haven't visited yet I will be doing soon. Then there's an ornie finished, some cards made, a Sea Stars update pic and some nice post to share but I'll show those another time.

Thank you for visiting and for your lovely comments. Hope you've all got the bulk of your festive preparations completed and are now able to enjoy some "me" time. :0)

Slowly, Slowly.....

2009-12-10T16:15:00.009Z

No, not catchee monkey....... slowly, slowly getting back to my usual self as things heal, the pain recedes and the painkillers are dropped, thus helping my befuddled brain gain some semblance of normality. Well....... what passes for normality for me, anyways. LMAO I am getting really fed up of seeing the same four walls now, so I guess that's another good sign of improvement too. :0)

I have to show you the fab decoupaged card that Julie kindly sent to me last week:

Unfortunately the scan makes it look all flat and lifeless and it's not like that at all IRL: the nurse and teddy are 3-D and the whole is very beautifully made. Thank you again Julie, I love it. :0)

I have also been slowly, slowly trying to catch up with some of those things that went on the back burner whilst my mojo took quite a long holiday without me. When I checked I got a bit of a shock....... I haven't actually completed any ornies for the JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Christmas SAL since May! Ooooooppps! As it so happens I had a bit of a stitchfest after my first hospital stay and completed two small designs suitable for ornies....... it just took me a little longer to get round to the finishing..... as you do. ;0)

So, for your delectation, here is June's Ornie:

Design: Blackwork Partridge, kit
Designer: Carol Leather, for X-Calibre Designs
Fabric: 14ct white aida, as provided
Thread: black and gold metallic, as provided
Finish: pillow style ornie with ruched ribbon edging.

Here's a pic of the back view, so you can see the gorgeous gold on black fabric that I got from Thread Bear:

The chiffon ribbon was a 5m reel of Anita's Ribbon that I got from The Range for 99p - bargain! There's plenty left of both the fabric and ribbon for finishing more blackwork ornies, which I plan on doing at some point as I really like the combination. :0)

For July's ornie it was a reasonably quick little DMC design - I bought the kit from a shop in my local High Street that sells some cross stitch goodies, back when I had my first venture down that way earlier in the year. It was designed to be finished as a card but I had other ideas as soon as I saw it:

Design: Snowflake, from the Mini Kit Christmas Range
Designer: DMC
Fabric: good old white 14ct aida, as supplied
Thread: DMC 825; 932; 3752; 3756
Finish: Prairie Schooler style ornie

I added some glass bicone beads (another eBay bargain) and Mill Hill seed beads to the corners to give it a little festive sparkle. And yes, that is some actual, genuine sunshine you can see in that pic........ but, despite it being sunny out, it is also decidedly chilly, as the deep frost we had last night is still on the ground in the sheltered places, like my garden. Ise a stopping in today, where it's nice and warm! LOL

I've also picked up a needle again and have been making headways into the JA/S&S Challenge piece that was supposed to be done in October (I think), then there's November and December's pieces to do...... they are all lovely festive designs, so they will double up as pieces for the Christmas ornie SAL............ and that will take me up to October for ornie's. So that leaves two more to complete to make it a full year of ornies. Reckon I'll manage it? Nah, not too sure either but will give it my best shot. :0)

In the meantime I had a think (yes, it did hurt - my poor brain wondered what was happening! LOL) and decided that my HAED Mother Earth piece has been very sadly neglected of late and is in real danger of becoming a UFO....... to rectify that I asked to join Gaynor's Weekly SAL Blog for 2010 and she very kindly let me sign up and nominate Mother Earth as my SAL piece. Now I have to make progress on it. Yay! That leaves the JA/S&S Tuesday UFO Night and I reckon Sea Stars should put in an appearance for that......... plus there are a couple of other pieces that have been waiting to have beads added for some time, so they would be good candidates for then too. Slowly, slowly the stitchy bug is returning. :0)

As for other news: DH is in the middle of the big Outage thing at work so he's been working late all week, though has been compensating by going in a little later in the morning's so he can make sure I am up and safely downstairs and has chance to do any bits of shopping or jobs for me. Thankfully he still has a job: he has essential knowledge on the Instrumentation side (please don't ask what that means - I don't know!) that the steelworks can't afford to lose, as he's one of only a few remaining chaps that have it, so they aren't letting him go..... yet. DH prefers it that way - it should be a better package when he's 55 years old..... he's got another 2 years to go. Hopefully there'll still be a steelworks here for that long.

DS is busy with rehearsals for the Pantomime, as well as seeing his DGF and friends. I am getting lots of quiet evenings and you know what that means folks.......... yes, I am in charge of the TV remote! Mmmmmwwwwwaaaaahhhhhaaaaaahhhhhaaa! (evil laugh, in case you were wondering). Unfortunately there hasn't been an awful lot on in the evenings worth watching lately and the plans to watch all those DVD's just hasn't happened...... it's either been reading (finished a couple more books - see side bar), a minor trawl of eBay or sleep that has won out. Hopefully, now the stitchy bug seems to be returning, I shall be sitting and stitching a bit more instead, so I may well get to see those DVD's after all. LOL

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and for all the lovely comments. I will be stopping by to visit blogs in the coming days, as I have a catch up with all your news. :0)

Just a Quickie....

2009-12-01T11:44:00.004Z

to say a big thank you for all the well wishes. Not only are they greatly appreciated but they seemed to have worked well, as I was allowed home on Sunday night. :0)

The operation went well, with no complications, and the wound looks to be healing OK - very neat and tidy. Just a tad sore and when I walk I do a very good impression of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is playing havoc with my back, otherwise I don't feel too bad at all.

Unfortunately I haven't yet managed to keep my eyes open long enough to tackle anything stitchy related..... but that will come. Whilst in hospital I actually found myself wishing I'd packed a small piece to do in there! The lack of stitching to hand did mean I got another book read from cover to cover though: another Angel book by Jacky Newcomb (see side bar)....... which I left with the young lass in the next bed, as - after she told me her story - I felt she could do with a little Angelic intervention, Bless her.

Right, I'm away to the sofa and my fleecy blanket as I am now feeling shattered. I haven't done much but am getting tired very easily. Time to catch some z's again. LOL

Thank you again for all your kind thoughts and prayers, they really have made a difference. Hope to have a gradual catch up with you all in the coming days. :0)

Halloween Revisited

2009-11-25T22:09:00.005Z

Well I finally got around to finishing off another of those Halloween ornies I stitched way back........... as in, way back in September 2008. It's another one of those jobs I've been doing "Just In Case". Yes, as you might be able to tell, those pre-op nerves are beginning to kick in a tad. Still I'm not as bad as I was when I was in my 30's and had to go have my tonsils out, which was my first ever operation.............. I actually wrote out a Will that time. LMAO

So what ornie finishing did I do? Well...... it was this one:

Design: Fall

Designer: Homespun Elegance, internet freebie

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct evenweave - Hot Potatoes

Threads: Carrie's Creations Pumpkin Spice, Raven, Pina Colada; Ozark Emerald; DMC for cat's eye

Finish: hanging pillow ornie.

I went with a bit of a Scarey Spice look with the black fibers........ kinda reminds me of one of my really bad hair days. LOL The charm was one I had in my stash - thought it was really appropriate for the piece. :0)

For the backing I used this fabric:

Don't you just love those crazy looking bats? I just wish I'd extracted my digit and got this piece finished much sooner - it didn't deserve to be left languishing in the drawer for so long. Though rather than thinking that this piece is a tad late for this Halloween I prefer to think that I am being incredibly organised and it is just very early for next Halloween. ROFL ;0)

As for other things: DH and I did a little shopping on Sunday, resulting in a few more Christmas pressies crossed off the list, plus I ordered some gifts from Amazon and eBay and they have arrived this week. Hopefully I'll get all the wrapping done tonight. We also did an online Tesco food shop and that was delivered and put away last night, so the cupboards, fridge and freezer are now nicely stocked, as that's one job I definitely won't be up to doing after tomorrow! LOL My other blog is now fully up-to-date with the latest happenings, so there'll be a hiatus on that now, until I'm up and about again. I've also done enough laundry to keep my two going for a while...... though they do at least know how to use the washing machine, should the need arise. Tomorrow morning I just need to add the last couple of bits to my toiletry bag and pop that into my case and I'll be all set to go.

It'll be an early start tomorrow as I've to be on the ward for 8am, though don't yet have a clue on what time I'll be going into theatre....... and so long as they dope me with a pre-med pretty smartish I won't be caring much when it is, either. Bless those lovely drugs! LOL

I have no idea when I'll be back online again, as I've been warned it'll take a while before I can sit up comfortably for long, so......... just in case......... I hope you all have a lovely festive season, however you celebrate, and that it is filled with lots of fun and laughter and that you all have a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. :0)

Thank you for all your lovely kind thoughts and well wishes, they are very much appreciated. Take care all. :0)

No Stitching But.....

2009-11-19T20:49:00.011Z

that hasn't stopped me acquiring stash, although those acquisitions have been over a couple of months - I've just been really slack at blogging enough to share them before now.

First up is an eBay bargain 99p chart:

I love the version with the wording. The logo of the Alternative Therapy Clinic I go to is a sunflower and I plan on stitching the version with the wording for Jan, my Herbalist, as a thank you for all the help she has given me.... and all the help she will continue to give once I've had my op. She has helped me in more ways than she knows and helped to open up a whole new world for me (I write about that on my other blog), so it is such an appropriate piece. :0)

On the same day I also spotted this gorgeous fabric bargain too:

A large piece of opalescent fabric for under £4.00 and free P&P. Who could resist that? Certainly not me. ROFL I don't have any specific plans for it at the moment but just the right design is bound to turn up at some point.

Another day I was bored and browsing on the same good old auction site, following links to see where they'd take me, when I came across someone selling craft goodies for children...... only when I investigated there weren't just the pipe cleaner type stems but also some sparkly trims that were sold by the metre, ideal for Christmas ornies thought I.

As you can see I succumbed to a few of them. Those yellow stems were a freebie - I couldn't think what I could use them for (so did not fancy making that many Easter Chick legs! LOL) so gave them to my friend Alex, for her children.

Then another nosey around revealed these rather useful pieces of fabric at a bargain price and I was lucky enough to win the bids:

A 32ct fabric in Mocha and a 28ct in French Latte. Another couple of neutral colours that are especially useful as my stash seems to have a large bias towards hand dyes in pretty colours. Much as I like those pretty colours they aren't always suitable for some designs.

When I got fed-up of bargain hunting on eBay I had a wander over to Thread Bear for a nosey as I needed some different coloured backing fabrics. Whilst I was there I couldn't resist the sparkly felts they'd just got in stock...... and the chart was in the Sale section and goes with one from the same range that's already in my stash.

The 28ct is a piece of Lakeside Linens fabric and was bought specifically to stitch the Plum Pudding Salem Sisters piece on. Yes, I had all good intentions of starting this piece for Halloween........... but it just didn't happen. Yup, that mojo packed its bag and disappeared into the wild blue yonder....... again! The current happenings haven't exactly helped either.

Just so you're not left thinking that the Craft Bug had totally disappeared:

Yes, last week my cardmaking goodies came out of their boxes long enough for me to make a card for my DH's birthday. Though they did go straight back in again and haven't been touched since, as I've been busy with other things.

So, what has been happening to keep me busy? Well, I went for my pre-op checks on Tuesday morning and that took way more time than either of us expected. So the questions were asked and the forms were filled in by a very nice Staff Nurse called Gail; blood pressure and blood oxygen levels checked and noted; height and weight checked and noted (and I don't like their scales 'cos they have me 4lbs heavier than Jan's!); then various questions asked and answered - though not too many details wanted or needed about the op itself because I'm a firm believer that ignorance is bliss with that kind of thing as I really don't want nightmares beforehand, thanks; all the consents signed and a parting gift of a cup of pee, for testing. Finally there was a trip down to see the hospital vampires again so they could take four lots of my best red for various tests. Staff Nurse Gail reckoned I looked and sounded fit enough and the checks she did were fine, so - unless the test on the blood or pee turn anything up - it's all systems go, in the best Thunderbirds tradition. LOL

Meantime, I've been keeping up with the laundry and other dreaded H word jobs, trying to keep on top of things before the enforced break happens...... you know men, they aren't going to class things like that as a priority, are they? And I am not going to burst my stitches trying to keep things straight when I come home, so I'm getting it sorted now in the hopes that it won't begin to look like a mess for a while. Yeah, right - not with these two! LOL

Then there's making sure that the clothes I want to take in with me are clean, ironed and packed and the other bits I need are to hand (things have a nasty habit of disappearing into that Safe Place just when you want them). Shopping for enough soya milk and cornflakes to take in with me because the hospital don't have anything I am allowed to eat at breakfast time - plus enough for after I get out, as DH won't have the time to go into town for more. And that the cupboards, fridge and freezer are well stocked beforehand too........... because there isn't a snowball's chance in h*ll of me being able to help do that after the op. Plus I've been making sure my other blog is fully up-to-date (got more posts saved to draft) and doing my best to catch up with all the blogs on my blogger list because who knows how long it'll be before I'll be able to sit up to the computer - I've already been warned that I'll be left wondering if I'll ever be able to walk up straight ever again, due to it being an ordinary incision op with stitches. Thanks for that! LOL

I guess it's probably a good thing the mojo has gone on holiday again because, at this point, I'd probably end up having to frog it all anyways. LOL :0)

Thank you taking the time to stop by and for all the lovely comments you leave. Hope you all have a good weekend...... and all those in the UK stay safe and flood-free. :0)

A Gorgeous Giveaway Received

2009-11-13T17:25:00.005Z

While I was busy burrowing into my shell I did manage to keep up with some blog reading and was delighted to find that I was one of the lucky winners for Andrea's Christmas Ornie's Giveaway. Andrea's work is always beautiful and the basketful of ornies looked amazing, so I was going to be a very happy person whichever ornie I received. But I did have a favourite that I loved on sight because it was such fun....... so imagine how doubly thrilled I was when I opened up the package and discovered the ornie she sent me was my favourite. :0)

So which one was it? This little beauty:

Isn't it a cutie? Those gold beads around the edges really sparkle IRL. Sorry but my pic really doesn't do it justice and the digicam just will not do a decent close up of anything - there's a much better pic over at Andrea's blog. :0)

The back of the ornie has a pretty border and Andrea's initials and the year stitched on it.

Thank you again for the most wonderful pick-me-up Andrea. Your stitching and finishing is awesome. I am delighted with my ornie and it will be going on my rotating metal Christmas tree that I have bought just to display hand stitched ornies.

Thank you for all the kind and supportive comments on my last post, they are greatly appreciated. I hope that all those in the UK stay safe during the current bad weather. Have a good weekend. :0)