Finished and Started

Ellie's cardigan is finished. It's very girly - not at all like her, Neil said I should have made her a combat jacket.

I've started a jumper for Freddie, this is the back and it is now finished and I've started the front.

I had an afternoon in my sewing room yesterday and made these hanging hearts. I gave one to a friend today as part of a birthday present.

I'm getting on okay with stitching this fabric. I've been trying out different ways of embroidering the cow parsley; there's one I really like and some I don't but that's what it's all about and why it's necessary to make samples before doing the real thing.

We have had a lot of requests at work for a class on how to make granny squares so I'm going to be teaching this. I wanted to make another blanket and this will give me the perfect excuse to start one.

While I was washing up yesterday I looked out of the window and saw this little fella. They visit us every year but this was their first appearance in our road, I have seen them out and about elsewhere. I've also seen and heard the spotted woodpecker a lot this year, including this morning.

Oooops!

I hadn't realised it had been more than two weeks since I last posted, I've obviously been very busy and time has flown by.

We had a real family easter this year with all the children, grandchildren and parents. Last Saturday was Neil's birthday so the children and grandchildren came over and we had a takeaway (see blog title) with homemade cake to follow. I made Millionaire's Shortbread and grown up Rice Krispie Squares.

Nicki and Ellie also made Rice Krispie squares.

Trying to get a photo of all three little people was a nightmare. Eva looks worried, Ellie has obviously had enough and Freddie is just a happy little chap.

There has been some making going on, I spent far too long on these crocheted cupcakes. I won't be making them again as cute as they are, they are too fiddly. I have also finished the border on my crochet blanket made a bag for Steph and layered and wadded a quilt, so I have been busy.

I'm keeping up with my walking. This was the view at Ferry Meadows first thing this morning.

The sunrise was beautiful.

The swans were graceful, unfortunately I was too slow to get a picture of the heron.

Last but not least I made raspberry and white chocolate muffins for afternoon tea today.

 I'm hoping to have some time to catch up on some blog reading this weekend. Enjoy your weekend.

Time Out

I've had a blogging break for personal reasons and considered giving up my blog but have decided to carry on so here I am again.

I haven't been idle during my break, there has been some experimenting in the kitchen. My first ever gluten-free cake, a ginger cake. The kitchen smelt lovely whilst it was cooking so I was hopeful and I could see through the oven door that it had risen. It came out looking perfect, tasted lovely and was liked by everyone who had a piece.

On Thursday afternoon I looked after Ellie for a little while so I took her into the office to see Grandad. I think she was trying for employee of the month.

Her drawing skills were good. 

However her skills at eating do-nuts were excellent.

See no problem.

Freddie with mummy.

Yesterday after my early evening walk I made mushroom soup. It's one of my favourites and of course it was gluten free. The only disappointment was the gluten free bread roll, I'm glad I don't eat a lot of bread.

Wednesday was the monthly meeting of Spectrum and just for once I had been a good girl and done my homework. I'm glad Gina made me stick with my original design as I'm much happier with it now. If you remember my theme is Circles, which I have taken literally in this instance. The colours are representative of the hydrangeas in my garden. Or should I say that used to be in my garden I think I might have killed them off, time will tell.

This is just a working sample I've abandoned my sketchbook temporarily but I will have to go back to it. I painted some pages from my sketchbook (knew it would come in useful sometime)  cut out lots of circles using a punch and stitched them together using invisible thread. I was really pleased that the invisible thread worked in the bobbin it needed a little coaxing but I got there.

Then I strung them onto these frames with some help from Neil. It took almost two hours just to do the small one. I intend for the finished project to be hung in circles. So now I have lots more sampling to do starting with fabric for the circles, although I might not use fabric I spied a bag of Quality Street wrappers this morning and thought they might work.

Oh and yesterday evening I made a Mars Bar and Rice Krispie cake for the stitching ladies at the shop today.

Be Happy

Freddie + mummy = happy

Ellie + chocolate = happy 

                                     
                                              One table runner - if I could just get it quilted it would make me happy.

Freddie was quite happy playing under his activity gym and then Ellie joined him. He has every reason to look scared.

Nicki popped by the shop yesterday and Ellie put herself in charge of deliveries.

She's very good at opening things but hasn't quite got the hang of what to do with the contents, what she has  got is a good arm for throwing.

Sunday Update

We've had some busy days and some quiet days at work this week due to the weather. The quiet days though gave us a chance to get quite a lot of housekeeping done. We had some fabric deliveries this week so yesterday we had a move around and put out the new fabrics. These are some of my favourites.

I used a dresden plate to make this cushion, it's a sample ready for when I next have to demonstrate that particular template on Create and Craft. It's nice to be ahead for once.

This afternoon I went to Grafham Water for a walk. I know it was trying to snow but I wasn't the only one there, it was surprisingly busy.

These geese were happy to be out in it.

A view (distant) of the dam.

Last night we had this little fella to stay. He was much easier to look after this time but I still had to cuddle him all night. Well someones got to even if it is a tough job.

Fingers Crossed

 

My fingers are crossed in the hope that this post actually works. It's the fourth attempt and I am now so fed up with blogger that I'm thinking of giving up and starting a facebook page. Just to annoy me even more while I typed those few sentences a picture has dissappeared. Does it only happen to me?

 

I have finally had to admit this week that christmas is definitely on it's way, in fact it's just around the corner. On Monday I went into town to do the dreaded  christmas shopping, oh it was horrible! I was there waiting for the shops to open and I was home by 12.00pm and I'm not going back. I'm so pleased Neil has booked an Ocado delivery for next week.

 

The picture above is one side of Freddie's stocking, the picture that has vanished was the other side. Below is the stocking I made for Eva.

 

As part of my christmas preperations I've started yet another project, it is an Xmas tree hanging and I'm hoping to have it finished in time for this year.

Here's Ellie having her first sewing lesson. Doesn't she look thoughtful, she sat there for quite a while just watching.

 

I have also started playing around with hexagons. I'm not a huge fan of hand sewing but there are times when it's not possible to be sat at the machine so I thought I'd start working with hexagons and it would be a long term project so no pressure to get it finished. 

 

I have got so many things I want to do during the christmas break but knowing my luck I will be finishing christmas presents. One thing I really must do is work on my Spectrum project.

 

You never know, next time I blog there might have even been some christmas baking. I love homemade mince pies - shop bought ones just don't do it for me.

What Happened To November?

Time has yet again flown by ( I didn't do a single post in November) but it only seems like 5 minutes since my last post. Life has been very busy we have been enjoying getting to know Freddie who is definately a grandad's boy. He settles much better with Neil than with me. He doesn't sleep anywhere near as much as Ellie did so that has been a bit of a shock for Nicki and Anthony. I have to say though that Nicki is coping extremly well with having two babies and she is managing to breast feed, she really is a star.

Neil and I have had a week in Wales but I can't show you any pictures because I've lost my camera. I'm quite upset about it, I had a brilliant photo of a rainbow over the sea and it's reflection in the sea and now it would appear it's gone forever.

I've also done a few more shows on Create and Craft TV, which takes up a lot of time and preparation.

I have almost got enough squares for my blanket, I'm just making a few more for a bit more colour variation.

Monday evening I made a Victoria Sponge for the Tuesday Strippers. I think they enjoyed it.

A few photo's of the little man. He is almost half of Ellie's body weight now and there is 13 months between them. Hopefully now the health visitor will see sense and stop giving Nicki a hard time about Ellie's weight. Although I'm quite sure that Ellie isn't in the health visitors good books. When Nicki took them to be weighed last week, she had Ellie weighed first and that was fine. But whilst she was getting Freddie undressed and weighed Ellie sneaked off into a corner with the health visitor's handbag and emptied the contents all over the floor. The first Nicki knew of it was when she looked up to see Ellie waving the health visitor's sanitary towels in the air and chuckling like mad. The chuckling soon changed to screaming when the health visitor tried to retrieve them. Poor Nicki she said she had never been so embarresed before and wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. I think she may have a lot more of that to come.

 

 

 

I have at last finished Freddies quilt. It really doesn't photograph very well it looks so much better in the flesh, so to speak.

 

Ellie's first painting, it has pride of place on the wall at work.