Stash Acquisition and the New Start

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)

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

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)

This and That

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

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 Has Returned!

I am now officially back from my holiday and in catch-up mode after a whole week without a computer. Yes, you read that right........ a whole week! *Faint*

We arrived home on Saturday but, in an effort to extend the holiday a little longer, called in at Brigg Garden Centre for dinner first.................... well...... actually, it was more to do with trying to avoid the inevitable laundry session and not wanting to see the state of the house after DS was home alone for a week.
Actually we got a shock when we did go home.......... he'd had the week off, due to it being Show Week (he was Stage Manager for Canterbury Tales), and in the daytime had actually been sorting things out and having a tidy up! That's no wrecked house due to wild parties, no dirty dish mountain in the sink, no overflowing rubbish bins and no smelly out-of-date food in the fridge - instead there was a heap of stuff moved from the back room (some to the hospice charity shop, some found homes elsewhere in the house/workshop/shed, some unwanted/useless stuff binned) and my craft things, which were being temporarily homed in the living room, had been transferred into the cleared space in the back room. I walked into the living room and nearly ran out, thinking I'd gone into the wrong house! LOL So impressed - I told DH we should go away more often if this is the result. LMAO.

I was going to post a couple of holiday pics of the cute coot babies and cygnets that were swimming on the fishing pond where we stayed (they hatched out while we were there) but the digicam managed to hide in the back of the car and has gone to work with DH. I'll bore you with those pics later in the week instead. ;0)

You've probably already seen this on Julie's Blog by now but I thought I'd show pics of the page marker I made and sent to her just before going on holiday.

A rather bad/blurry close up:
It's Alphabet Tree by Blue Ribbon Designs, stitched 1 over 1 on Polstitches 28ct Pearl evenweave using Kaalund silk thread Silky Oak. I do like this design! The back was finished with a piece of cotton backing fabric and it involved using the sewing machine......... which has a nasty habit of galloping off to do it's own thing, so the finishing wasn't as neat as I'd have liked. So glad that it arrived safely and that Julie liked it. :0)

I've had a lot of enjoyment out of making and sending these little surprises, so think it just might have to happen again soon. :0)

The weather was kind to us while we were away, so we were out and about a fair bit: trips to Market Rasen on Monday and Friday, so we could look round the shops and buy goodies from The Rainbow Room (our favourite place); a trip to Louth on Tuesday; Wednesday was a quick trip into Wragby, with a chill out the rest of the day and Thursday was a trip to Horncastle (antique shops and a trawl round lots of charity shops - result: a nice stash of second-hand books to read), with a trip back to the Pink Pig in the evening for our Night with Ian Lawman (psychic). Each evening (apart from Thursday) we took it in turns to host the Trivial Pursuits sessions........ you'd be surprised at just how competitive that gets. There's me, DSis and our cousin in the Young 'Uns team and DH, Aunty and Uncle in the Wrinklies team and we won 5 games to 4.......... but the Wrinklies were promising to whup our asses this time next year. LMAO.

I seemed to lose my stitching mojo whilst away and only managed a very small amount on Night Watchman - definitely not worth showing an update pic, as it'll hardly look any different from the previous one. I made a start on Queen Cleopatra and only managed the right hand side of her hair but after I got home the mojo quickly returned and I did far more. This is where I left off last night:

It's stitching up a treat and has me well and truly hooked, so I'll be carrying on with it for now.......... despite the next Ozark pack dropping through the letterbox and the final part of Jayne's Memories SAL arriving in my Inbox while I was away. Guess I'll get round to them eventually. ;0)

Thankfully the worst of the technical problems over at JA/S&S Forum are now sorted. Yay! So glad my usual log-in name of milfurnace is now being recognised, so I haven't lost my Supreme Chatterbox status........... I worked real hard at gaining that, so I want to keep it! LOL It's good to see everyone gradually getting back in again.

Glad to say that all the laundry finally got finished today. Yay! The regular Monday jobs were also tackled and Alex popped round for her usual chat and coffee late this afternoon - our first nattering session for several weeks, due to holidays and things, so there was a lot to catch up on. Hopefully I shall start catching up on blog reading/commenting in the next few days and see what you've all been up to while I was away......... hope you've been good!

Christine: got a great mental image of you scarifying those poor slugs and snails with those blue pellets of doom! ROFLMAO

Thank you for stopping by and for all the kind comments - all much appreciated. :0)

Amanda and a New Start

Back after the weekend and now trying to catch my breath.
Friday and Saturday I managed to concentrate on my stitching for a few extended periods and the Amanda SAL has seen the benefit of that. Here's where I got up to by Saturday evening: It's a little bit fiddlier than I expected, so it seems to be taking a bit longer to grow than I'd hoped. Got to get it done though, as Part 2 of Memories is already waiting and Part 2 of the Ozark SAL is due out any time soon.

DH didn't mind me stitching on Saturday as we decided to stay in so he could get on with fitting an exterior expansion tank for the central heating boiler. Not sure quite how this works but it goes up in the loft, plumbed in next to the other water tanks, and replaces the internal expansion bag that isn't working. Currently if the boiler pressure drops below a certain amount it cuts out and we freeze our butts off until someone tweaks a small tap next to the boiler to increase the pressure again. Fixing it this way was the cheaper option - those internal expansion bags for condensing boilers cost an arm and a leg and don't seem to last long at all. DH seemed to spend an awful lot of time searching for bits he needed for fitting it and not much time actually working - don't think he fancied being up in the rather cold loft, as we've had so many hard frosts lately it makes you glad you're not a brass monkey! Wish I knew a plumber - I'd have him in while DH is at work, get it all sorted in an hour or two and save a lot of hassle from yet another long drawn out DIY job!

I also had a new start over the weekend. Well, I had to test out the No-Sew Clip frame, didn't I? Can you guess what it is? No, I guess not - even I can't from that little bit LOL.
It's Night Watchman, the beautiful owl kit from Heritage Stitchcraft that I got in a sale earlier this year - it's been calling loudly to me ever since I got it and I couldn't ignore it any more. I swapped the Aida in the kit for some 28ct cream Brittany I had in my stash - those weird fractionals Heritage love are definitely best done on evenweave.

Sunday we went to my DSis's for the day, as she needed help moving a huge wardrobe so she could continue painting the box room. I did a little stitching on NW whilst there but had to drop it when we had an unexpected trip to casualty. DSis had a fight with a corned beef tin, lost and got a nasty deep gash across her right thumb pad - haven't seen that much blood in a long time! Several pieces of kitchen roll and lots of compression later and the bleeding had slowed down a little but would start again as soon as she moved it. Off to DRI to be told there was a three to four hour wait (too many people using it as a Doctor's surgery and not as an A&E, methinks!). Luckily the nice woman we spoke to told us there was a Small Injuries Unit at a small hospital in Mexborough, so a 25-30 minutes journey later we were there and DSis was seen and treated in under 35 minutes. She had it butterfly stripped and bandaged and had an anti-tetanus shot. Back at hers and I told her we were lucky: she hadn't bled on the corned beef, so we could still have it for tea. LOL Her reply is unrepeatable in polite company but at least it brought back some colour to her cheeks and got her laughing again. When she realised it would get her out of doing pot washing and cashing up at work she was definitely in a happier frame of mind. LOL

It's half term here, so Alex hasn't been for her usual Monday natter, but I did my regular jobs anyway and a few extras. I'm now feeling quite the virtuous housewife (doesn't happen often) and shall reward myself with a quiet evening of stitching in front of the TV. ;0) It looks like DH will have to work late, so I'll get to watch whatever I want as well - and there's a Most Haunted on. WhoooHoo! :0)

Hope you've all had a good weekend and that the week has got off to a good start for you. :0)

In the Pink

because it was a pink parcel day yesterday and today. Yesterday's parcel was a surprise: a Christmas card and pressie from Jayne. I've put the pressie away in my wardrobe in an attempt to stop me peeking - I have very little will power when it comes to things like that, so I'm hoping out of sight, out of mind. Many thanks Jayne. :0)
Yesterday also saw the scroll frame that Karen sent, so I'd have two spare frames and be able to start both Tanglewood and Rosemarkie, finally arrive. Karen posted it to me a week ago last Saturday and we both thought it had gone a.w.o.l. but it looks like it just fancied an adventure and took the scenic route instead. Many thanks for your generosity Karen (((((hugs))))). I did make a new start but it wasn't either of the ones you sent the frame for >rolleyes< (more of that later). Today's pink parcel contained my Monthly Club goodies: another beautiful rainbow of Carrie's threads and another gorgeous opalescent fabric, a 32ct Lugana called Shimmering Ocean. Doesn't that fabric just shout mermaids at you? :0) I'm going to have to invest in more of the plastic bacon boxes I store the CC's in as the ones I have are now filled to overflowing - unless someone can suggest a much better storage system that isn't too bulky (storage space is limited).

Well, despite having read the reminder on the S'n'S forum from Julie and Mr Stick re: UFO night yesterday............ and despite saying I'd be stitching............ guess who actually forgot all about it and made that new start instead? Now you know why the motto beneath my name on the forum is: Of all the things I've ever lost, I miss my mind the most. Those senior moments are happening more often and I'm only 46 - goodness knows what I'm gonna be like a few more years down the line! LOL. Actually, I'm putting it down to lack of sleep because, as usual when DH is away, I'm not sleeping too well - the bags under my eyes are now big enough to pack a holidays worth of clothes in and the dark circles make me look like a panda. ;0) Never mind - I shall sleep for England after he gets back.
Here's the new start:
Can you tell what it is yet?
I shall put the new start to one side and will make up for UFO night tonight and will post an update pic when I've done.

Thankfully there haven't been any more mouse corpses, rigid or otherwise, in the trap since Monday's nasty surprise and no signs of any calling cards anywhere else in the house. Yay! Pleased about that, as I really didn't fancy having to have another manic cleaning and disinfecting spree this close to the festive season.

As DH is away on this course (he wasn't able to drop out of it or come home a day early) and DS can't get the day off work I won't be able to attend Norma's funeral tomorrow. I rang my Uncle last week to explain and apologise and he was very understanding but I still feel awful about it, as I wanted to be there to pay my respects and give them some moral support, especially my Aunty who is taking it very hard.
It won't be the same as going to the funeral but I will have a quiet day tomorrow and at the time of the service will light candles and incense and have a small ceremony for her here.

Take care all. :0)