Other Progress....... Kinda

So what else did we get up to over the weekend, apart from clearing out junk from the garden? Well... DH had obviously been traumatised by the enforced parting from all that cr*p and decided he needed a day off, so he opted to join DS and friends from the LTC for a spot of walking in Derbyshire - Dove Dale to be precise. I had fancied joining them BUT I was totally cream crackered and a touch achey from Saturday's exertions and knew a 6 mile walk would more than likely finish me off, rather than be enjoyable....... so a quiet day at home on my tod, pottering around doing what I wanted when I wanted won out. :0)

I spent a bit of time outside, nursing a herbal tea and enjoying the fruits of our labour - it's so good to see definite signs of improvement. It's also good to know I can go out there without the threat of unearthing or tripping over stray scrap, lumps of wood or other assorted hoarded bits that DH was convinced "would come in useful some time" but actually just sat there rotting away because they didn't. I am definitely avoiding going into the workshop and shed though! LOL

One of the things that I kinda made progress on was a Christmas ornie for JA/S&S Forum's Monthly SAL...... still behind with that so it's July's ornie. It's a small piece I found lurking in the bottom of a pile of bits I found in a cupboard, ready stitched so just the finishing to do.

The small amount of progress made was stitching the two borders. I found a nice alphabet and set of numbers as I intend stitching something on the back - probably Yule 2009 or something similar. Then I got the fabric out for the Christmas Wishes SAL piece, measured and cut a piece and tacked guidelines for the top and sides and middle:

Really impressive progress, ain't it? LOL I just don't seem to be in the mood for stitching again at the moment and would much rather be out in the garden while the weather is nice, either working or making plans. :0)

Oh, I did spend some time updating my other blog with recent things: a post on one of the books I'd finished reading and an update on my latest Herbalist visit and weigh in (still Happy Dancing about that! LOL) and did a little reading too. The day just seemed to slip past as DH and DS soon seemed to be home again, though they did have a side trip down to Mai Mai Gardens for their tea first. The weather had been kind to them and they'd had an enjoyable walk, so I'm determined to go there and do the walk in the not too distant future.

This week has been a bit busy. Monday was my regular jobs day, with a visit from Alex for a natter, as she was back from her holiday, and blogging to break things up a little. DS and I also had a loft session after tea, putting his holiday case back up there, along with a few other bits that needed to go up. Then we made a start on sorting through some bits in the little bedroom and he hefted some boxes downstairs and into the sun lounge - temporary storage area while we clear the bedroom for decorating. DH and DS then brought down the old desk that was in there and put it in the hall.

Tuesday was warm - a good drying day - so I did several loads of laundry and put them out on the whirlygig, finally caught up with all of the blogs I read, gave the child's desk and computer chair a good wipe down and offered them on Freecycle and went through a cupboard down the side of the house. That cupboard has the bird seed stored on top and was supposed to be for the things we need to hand for the garden, like gloves, trowel, ties, feed etc etc but DH had filled it with all kinds of cr*p over the years (wouldn't have guessed it, wouldya? ROFL). More rusty metal bits are destined for the scrap skip and numerous other bits of dross went straight in the bin..... that bin was definitely filling up! Had a poke underneath the cupboard with a stick and I found more bin casualties....... and dislodged a few disgruntled eight-legged beasties too. Had a herbal tea and a magazine read after that (the magazines then go in the recycling box, so more clutter leaves the house) - the meditation I tried afterwards didn't go so well though..... I discovered it was quite possible to fall asleep whilst sat up in a hard plastic chair but you do wake up with quite a start when your head suddenly drops forward, heading for your knees. ;0) Later in the afternoon our neighbour came round to collect her front door key (we'd kept an eye on her house while they were away) and brought a lovely bunch of flowers as a thank you.

Gorgeous, aren't they? The visit gave me the opportunity to show her the back garden and talk about taking down the blue panel and putting up fencing to replace it - her DH is going to come round some time to have a look and they'll take it from there. After tea my DH helped me move out the cupboard so I could sweep the area - thankfully all the eight-legged beasties had long since legged it - then move it back. Found a bag with a decent pair of DS's outgrown rugby boots so I offered those on Freecycle too. Another job done.

As it was UFO Tuesday and Night Watchman is now complete it was time to choose another UFO to come out of the bag. So what won out? Well I finally decided to bite the bullet and tackle Sea Stars again. Here's where I'd got up to:

Remeber I left off this in disgust when those flippin' frogs paid a call yet again on this? Well it was time to do the reverse stitching on it, so this is where it now stands:


Reverse stitching done, in the hopes that I'll feel more like picking it up next time around. The other two ladies in the SAL, Barb and Rosanne, have long since finished theirs so this is now embarrassingly overdue a finish. ;0)

Wednesday was more lovely weather so a towel load got done and put out. I had a general potter around, sorting through some bits unearthed from the little bedroom and tidying up. Also another opportunity to sit outside with a herbal tea and magazine..... and do the whole meditate/ fall asleep/head falling thing all over again. LOL In the evening a couple came for the desk and chair for their DD and a chap for the rugby boots for his DS -and I'd unearthed an old pair of green wellies down the side of the house that morning so I offered them to the guy and he took them too, saving me having to post an offer on Freecycle again.

Thursday I had another pottering around day, the main job being a sort through my wardrobe again and I found more too-big clothes that went in a charity bag. After the previous sort out I ended up putting three bags full out for the Salvation Army. I need a serious shopping session now as, although I have four pairs of jeans and an assortment of tops to wear and some nice summer dresses and some woolies, I no longer have any trousers that fit. Slight inconvenience BUT it is so good to be able to say that....... it's actual proof of how much weight I've lost since last Christmas (see other blog).

Today it's packing day as DH and I are away again next week - we're off to stay in a cottage on a farm site just inland from Mablethorpe, so we're hoping for some nice weather for a spot of beach walking and maybe even some paddling! LOL No internet connection this time but I'll be taking a selection of small stitching projects with me and there'll be evenings of Trivial Pursuits too.
We don't normally have three holidays in a year but DSis booked and paid for this one as a thank you for what we've done to help her since Dad passed away, Bless her. Anyways, we may not get a holiday next year, depending on what happens in the next few months, so we're making the most of it: the numbers have been announced at the steelworks and 18 have to go from across the whole of DH's department, 5 specific to his area - 3 have already said they want to go. DH has asked to know what his terms are and will review his options when he has some figures to work with. No point in worrying about it - DH remains positive and I've given it up to the Universe - now waiting to see what unfolds. :0)

Thank you for all your lovely comments and, as ever, for taking the time to visit. Hope you all have a lovely weekend - will catch up with you all after we get home again. :0)

Guess Whooooo?

No I haven't fallen off the planet.... not due to the shock of turning 48 or any other reason LOL, I just got busy getting things organised for our holiday, which didn't leave me much time for other things...... especially when my two feel it's perfectly OK to just chuck everything into the case or the back of the car at the very last minute. I was well ready for that holiday by the time the packing was done, let me tell you.

In between updating the packing list, washing and drying a mountain of clothes (they will insist on getting stuff dirty!), sorting a stack of ironing for DH (bless him, that's one chore he likes to do that I don't - it literally gives me a pain in the neck), unearthing all the walking gear from various places and other suchlike jobs I did manage to do a little stitching. Well, actually, I managed it a few weeks prior to going away, on UFO Tuesday, and didn't get around to posting an update. So here's where the handsome fella got to before the holiday packing got underway:


I decided to fill in the other corner so it would define the working area and give a definite goal to work towards. He didn't make it out of the bag again but Mr Stick didn't chase me, as I had permission to go awol due to some perfectly valid excuses: it was mine and DH's 25th Wedding Anniversary on the 14th, followed by our 2 week holiday. Yes 25 years and another milestone event in our lives. Whoda thunk we'd make it this far,eh? LOL We didn't do much, just had a take-out curry, as we decided to go out for a special meal to celebrate whilst on our holiday. :0)

Our anniversary may have been a bit of a damp squib but my birthday excitement continued a little longer when I received another rather pretty package, this one from Clare:


Here's what was inside the envelope and packages:


One of Clare's lovely handmade decoupage cards and an amethyst bead fob (my favourite gemstone) and some perle threads and Silkweaver fabric in the prettiest colours. Thank you again Clare for the lovely card and gifts - I love them and shall enjoy using everything. :0)

Then a second envelope from Clare revealed these fab cross stitch charts:


Plus some blackwork charts:


I do love wildlife and nature and blackwork and the charts made her think of me. How nice is that? Thank you again for your generosity Clare. :0)

Yet more nice post arrived.... this time from Julie, in the form of a book that she very kindly sent on to me:


Thanks again Julie. :0) It went straight from the envelope into my bag for my holiday read. I'd decided taking a Barbara Erskine with me was a bad idea when we were going to be staying in an old cottage - far too spooky! Good decision, as it was a really good book........ so good it didn't last out the fortnight! LOL You can find out more in my side bar or over at The Reading Corner blog, if you're interested.

I also squeezed in a little more stitching before going away and managed to complete the first part of the JA/S&S Forum's Hardanger Bookmark SAL that is being run by Clare. Here's the pic to prove it:


That's one of the very few deadlines I actually managed to beat during July. Yay! The second part is now out, so I need to extract my digit and start applying a needle to this soon so I get to meet an August deadline too.

My niece's birthday was due while we were going to be away so the cardmaking goodies came out. Yes, I got all super-efficient and made a card and posted it early. Here's what I made for her this year:


She's definitely a pink girl so she should have liked it. There was also another birthday girl who's day was due during our holiday: Julie, and here's the card I made for her:

Another one I was really pleased with and enjoyed making. I also stitched a little something..... but I shall put that in another post. :0)

We then went off on our two-weeks holiday to the Lake District, where we stayed in a lovely cottage in Chapel Stile village in the Great Langdale Valley. As this is already a long post I shall do a separate post about that too.

Thank you for visiting and for all the lovely comments. I shall be having a catch up with you all in the coming week. :0)

A Small HD

Back in November Jayne ran a Beginners Hardanger SAL on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum and, me being me, I didn't get around to doing it then because I was busy doing other stuff. Suddenly feeling inspired last night I dug it out from under a pile of stitching magazines and made a start, finishing it off tonight.Once again the scanner has made it look dull: the stitches lay much better than this and the glitter thread wrapped around the wrapped bars really sparkles. Such a cute piece, it was a lot of fun to stitch, so thanks for designing the piece and running the SAL Jayne. :0) Not sure how I shall finish it yet: it's small enough to make a nice card but would also look good as a small ornie. Guess it'll go in the finishes drawer for a while, with the rest of the pieces that are waiting for me to make a decision on how to finish them. ;0)
I've now stitched hardanger pieces on 28ct and 22ct fabric and have to say that I prefer using the 28ct, as the stitches do seem to lay better on that.

DH booked Friday off work so he could get a few things done: like getting his hair cut, hoovering off the plate rack in the hall and similar boring but necessary stuff....... but he mainly seemed to get under my feet as I was trying to get my jobs done. I did get a bit of peace when he drove DS out to Epworth village in the evening: DS's works Christmas "Do" was at an Indian restaurant out there - DS didn't want to drive as he wanted to have a drink or two, so his Dad volunteered to take him and pick him up again afterwards. I finished the replacement card for the exchange and made a start on the hardanger bauble while they were gone whilst listening to one of those Ambience Music CD's - well, there was definitely nothing on the TV worth watching, was there.

DS shot off to a Panto rehearsal this morning and had a bit of Christmas shopping to do afterwards, so DH popped to the Post Office, then we went to a local garden centre for dinner. While we were there we had a look round: lots of pretty Christmas decorations but we came away with a nicely decorated pot for the garden instead. It's planted with two types of heather and what I think might be a cyclamen but as I know beggar all about most types of plants, don't quote me. Anyway: it's got dark reddish coloured leaves, so looks different and pretty and that's good enough to get into my garden. ;0) As we'd actually gone there to look for some of those metal hangers that hook over the top of your door so you can hang a wreath (or whatever) on and didn't find any we decided to go to the big garden centre out at Brigg to see if they'd got any. That place always has a big Christmas decorations display upstairs at this end of the year so is always well worth a look round. We got what we needed from there, paid and left as there were way too many mardy kids in there for it to be enjoyable, unfortunately. We did a couple of small errands after that, then decided we'd had enough and came home.

DS is out at The Little Theatre Club's Christmas party tonight so we've had a take away from our favourite curry house and have been chillin' in front of the TV since, giving me chance to finish the hardanger bauble and have a think about what to stitch next. The WDW Garnet thread - the one that was out of stock when I ordered those lovely JBW Designs Christmas charts from Sew and So - arrived this morning, so I may just go for a new start tomorrow. :0)

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated. Hope you all have a good weekend. :0)

A HD and a Surprise

Look at what I finished last night. :0)As I have a few larger, longer term projects on the go at the moment it's good to have a finish for a change. As the walls of our house would fill up awfully fast if everything I stitched was framed I've decided this one should be finished as some type of ornie - if I can decide on what style of finish I'd like to achieve.......... and providing I can take the plunge at finally having a go, as my finishing skills currently rank at zero. My drawerful of stitched but unfinished items will attest to that. >rolleyes<

I had a lovely surprise in the post this morning from Dusty in the USA, a beautifully stitched hardanger ornie. The scan has made the red look really bright and the green quite dark when they are actually lovely traditional Christmas colours. It is gorgeous and is going on the special tree we bought last year: it's branches are of fancy scrolled metalwork and it revolves slowly, absolutely ideal for displaying handmade ornies. Am hoping DH is going to get it out of the loft for me one evening this week, so I can put it up and decorate it.

I'm glad to say I finally got around to writing my Christmas cards and letters on Saturday which took me all afternoon and some of the evening to complete. I'd been putting it off because I had to write the letters with news of this year - not an easy thing to do. Thankfully they're done now and in the post.

Another reason I was so distracted last week was because it was leading up to the 4th anniversary of my Mum's passing, which was yesterday - it's always an emotional time for us. We went to Doncaster on Sunday to spend the day with my DSis and we all went to the Crem to lay flowers and leave cards in the afternoon. I don't know if I got a bit chilled while I was there, or what, because yesterday I didn't feel too great: sinusitis, headache and my stomach felt awful, making me feel seriously nauseous. Unfortunately it meant I had to cancel Alex's usual Monday afternoon visit, as I had to take some tablets and go back to bed. Thankfully two tablets and a few hours sleep later and I felt much better and even went on to complete the little chickadee in the evening. I feel much better today, with normal service being resumed as soon as I'd eaten and had a coffee. :0)

Did I tell you that a few weeks back I signed up for the Ozark Mystery SAL at The Attic's Stitch'n'Stash Forum? Normally I don't sign up for mysteries because I always think: what if I hate the piece when it's done? I only ever stitch pieces I love, or know that the person I'm giving a piece to will love, and the thought of spending all that time and money on something that I can't stand the sight of when it's done just turns me cold. This one is an exception to the rule though: Debbie Draper is the designer. Every time I had a mosey over to her site for another looksee at her designs I was sunk and had to sign up. I was so glad I'd given in to temptation when Jayne announced she would be specially hand dying the fabric for the UK stitchers in the SAL - after receiving her lovely Count On Me fabrics, thanks to the monthly club I'm in, I can't wait to see what she produces for this. :0) The first pack will be despatched soon, for starting this in January 2008 - whoohoo! Anyone else taking part?

I think 2008 will be a bit busy, stitching wise, as I have signed up for both the Carol Tinson/Heirloom Embroidery Amanda SAL and Jayne's Memories SAL as well........ hope I actually manage to keep up with all of these! I shall look forward to seeing what everyone else's 2008 stitching plans are going to be.

Thank you again for visiting my Blog and for all the kind messages, they are greatly appreciated. :0)