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Friday 1 January 2010

New Years Day Finish

Happy New Year! The first morning of the new decade was a frosty one here in my part of the UK, we were promised snow a few days back, but it never arrived, am i the only one who was disappointed??,lol.
Looking back over December it was, (as it is every year) a very busy time in this house, we have celebrated 5 birthdays and a wedding anniversary since the beginning of the month, starting off with my Niece on 1st December quickly followed by my DD#2 who turned 22 on the 2nd, my DD#1 turned 27 on 22nd, little ole me celebrated (not sure that's the right word) my 48th birthday on 27th! and my brother turned 55 on 28th (omg, my family is getting old, lol) and just to add a bit of variety it was my wedding anniversary on 20th, what ever possessed us to get married so close to Christmas i do not know!
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I'm not a fan of making New Year resolutions, but this year i am setting myself some goals, the first of which is to have a healthier lifestyle and get fitter, notice i didn't say the dreaded 'diet' word, i have in the past rushed to join Weight Watchers or Slimming World in January only to have my interest wain by February, so this year I'm doing neither, i know what i need to do in order for the scales to go down, eat less crap and take more exercise! i just need to put it into practice and I've already started on the second one (come on its Christmas, I'm allowed to eat some crap for now!) so to combat some of that Christmas food I've been going for a brisk walk everyday over the holiday, it's a start and I'm not looking for any 'quick fixes' this year, it's taken me 4 years to put on this extra weight so I'm being realistic this time that it will take me a while to shift it! My aim is to loose 18lb, that will make me just 7lb heavier than i was 4 years ago, (I'm older now so i figure that i need some fat to help plump the wrinkles out! I'll post my progress here more for me to keep track, but i wont bore you with it at every post, promise :-)

So, here is my very first finish of 2010 and I'd like it to be known that more than once it was flung to the other side of the room in utter frustration and very nearly consigned to the kitchen bin on several occasions! i don't know what happened, i must have lost brain cells or something with all the lounging around over the holidays, Christmas may be over but this is staying where i can look at it and show it to everyone who will look, lol.

LHN, Fa-La-La on 28 count with DMC threads
I added beads around the edge and finished it off with red organza ribbon, the beads were a first for me, and boy did i make a mess with them!

I want to thank you for visiting me in 2009 and i hope that you will continue to do so in 2010, i look forward to visiting all your blogs and seeing all the wonderful work you do, i love to read the comments you leave for me here, they truly make my day :-) Have a fantastic New Year, I'm going to finish off the first day of the new decade by picking all those dropped beads off the carpet, lol...wish me luck (or i may just get the vacuum out!)

26 comments:

Branlaadee said...

Happy New Year Maggie! My family has the busy birthday/holiday thing going in Dec too. Starts with my DH's birthday on Dec. 1 and ends with mine on Jan. 1. And everyone in between. LOL

I love your Fa-La-La. It looks great with the beading.

stitchersanon said...

Happy New Year!
I have been stuck in the house for almost 2 weeks apart from one emergency shopping trip...so have plenty of snow if you would like it..must collect though.
Your Fa La La is great...well worth the stress it caused you. Well done!
Happy New Year

Rowyn said...

Happy new year Maggie!

It sounds like you've been busy with all those celebrations.

Yay for you for NOT dieting! Being active is sustainable and will lead to weight loss.

Great LHN finish. Love your ribbon and beaded edging. I remember years ago flinging cross stitches across the room (often accompanied by swear words, lol) - but fortunately I haven't needed to do that in recent times (phew!).

Kellie said...

Happy New Year, Maggie! And congratulations on your New Year finish! It is beautiful (even if it was frustrating :) ). I am hoping to stitch that series of ornaments this year as well though I have yet to start the first one. Maybe that would make for a quick yet fun new year start if I hurry. LOL! Good luck with your goals of being healthier and fitter. I am not a fan of resolutions either, but goals are a good thing. :)I am looking forward to reading about your successes. :) Have a great new year!

Mylene said...

Happy New Year, Maggie!!

WOW! So many celebrations in just a month, belated happy birthdays and anniversary.

A lovely lovely finish, makes me jealous i haven't touch the needle these past days.
I hope to catch up later this month when hubby goes back to work.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year :) Best of luck with meeting your goals this year :) Your latest Fa La La finish is really gorgeous, and the beaded edge really finishes the piece :D

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Wow, Maggie! You did have a busy December, didn't you! Your finish is lovely - the beads are a great touch and the ribbon is beautiful. Happy New Year and good luck with your get healthy resolution (one we should all embrace).

Nancy said...

Your Fa-La-La is beautiful Maggie! I just gave you a comment on the SAL blog a few minutes ago. (I haven't even started mine yet!)

I always enjoy your blog, and I'll visit you with every post in 2010. Hope you found all the beads!

Marie Rayner said...

Happy New Year Maggie! I just love this little pillow of yours! How very beautifully done it is. I used to do a lot of counted Cross Stitch myself in my younger years, but sadly my eyes will no longer co-operate with my hands, so I can no longer do it, but if I could I would surely be making myself one of these little joys! It wouldn't be as nice as yours though coz your work is gorgeous!

Jane said...

A lovely finish to start the year, the beads look great. It will be easier next time, look forward to seeing what you do next

Heidi said...

You made my new year happy already...plump out the wrinkles!!! LOL! So that is why I look younger than my 45 years??? LOL! So here is me grabbing another cookie from the cookie jar...lol.

Did you know that vacuuming is exercise? But I hope you Fa lala'd yourself to find some of those beads. And glad you did not bin this as it is far too pretty for that. Congratulations on your first finish of 2010. Make it a great year dear Maggie!

Hugs ~
Heidi

Anonymous said...

What a lovely finish Maggie, and the beads look great, even if they were frustrating! Good luck with your resolutions for 2010, I will be joining you on the "non diet", but love the idea of plumping out the wrinkles lol. Happy New Year

Lois said...

Happy New Year Maggie! We've woken to a covering of snow in this part of the UK this morning - would you like me to send it your way?!?!? What a lovely finish to end off 2009 and the beads are a perfect touch even though they caused you so much frustration. Wishing you success with the goals you are setting.

Siobhán said...

What a beautiful way to usher in the new year, Maggie, with that lovely ornament! Great finishing, too. YGG! Love the blog header mosiac, btw!

Happy new year to you and yours.

Cheryl said...

Happy New Year! Good luck with the exercise, im trying to get fit too...20mins a day either walking or running...hopefully LOL
Love your ornament! Did the beading take ages? Im still waiting the chart arriving in the post.

Brigitte said...

It's good to see that you survived all the birthday parties you had in December, lol.
Happy New Year, Maggie, to you and your family. And congratulations on your firsat finish of 2010. All the best of luck for your weight losing plans, it's a hard way but you will make it.

Carolien said...

Hello Maggie,

Happy New Year and 'backwards' congratulations on all those birthdays!
Wow, a finish already ... I am glad you didn't throw that lovely ornament in the kitchen bin. It's lovely! Did you find all the beads? ;)

Bye & greetings, Carolien

Crazee4books said...

Hello Suga Eyes....er....I mean Maggie!!!

Lol!!!

I did a double take the day that I
read the latest comments left on
my blog and saw that "name" on a
comment. "Now who on earth...????"
I wondered to myself. And then I
read the comment in your name under
neath and had a good chuckle.

Your Fa-La-La ornament looks
very nice, and the red beads
around the edges turned out
beautifully in the end. Sorry
to hear that it was a pain in
the you-know-where to put in
place. Chalk it up as a learn-
ing experience. This is a
cute design and a nice addition
to your decorations for the
Christmas season.

Good luck with the exercise and
change of diet. You'll find that
the walking grows on you and you
will begin to really enjoy it.
It's my favorite way to get some
exercise as long as the sidewalks
are clear of ice.

It's really hard to avoid
the yummy goodies that come
at Christmas. Friends of ours
from Scotland came to visit
last week and brought me a tin
of Scotch shortbread (yum!!)
and a tin from Marks and Spencers
with TWO layers of chocolate
covered biscuits. Groan!!! I
love those damn biscuits. So
I've been eating the odd one or
two and enjoying every mouthful.

My Mom and my Uncle both have
birthdays on December 5th, and
a very dear friend of mine had
hers on the 31st so I can
sympathize with you somewhat
on your rather busy December.

Belated but heartfelt best wishes
to you for your birthday Maggie
by the way. Aw...you're just a
young thing really.

Love how your blog looks and the
header that you're using with
pictures of your stitching. It's
such a cozy, warm and welcoming
look.

My very best wishes to you and
your family for the New Year.
Hope it's a great one for you.

Cheers!

Jane said...

Hi Maggie! Thanks so much for dropping by my blog and leaving a very kind comment. I love your little babies too - Millie and Molly. Millie's playing hide and seek while Molly is looking very regal with that pose!

I'm going to drop by again and read your Miss Potter post since I've seen this movie and loved it. Time is short now though.

Just wanted to say how I'm impressed with your first finish for 2010. Fa La La looks terrific and good on you for wanting to show it off all year round. Be proud!

Happy New Year and I'll be back again soon.

mbroider said...

Happy New Year Maggie. Your header is impressive!!

Quite some [tongue/memory]-twisting birthday information there, enjoyed reading that LOL.

Karen said...

Your Fa-la-la project is wonderful. The beading on the edge is the icing on the cake.

Tammy said...

Beautiful ornie Maggie! I do understand about flinging it aside though, lol!

Karan said...

Happy 2010 to you & yours Maggie. Sounds like you have lots of excuses for celebrating in December. :0)
Lovely ornie finish... & well done for presevering with it. Good Luck with those Goals. :0)

Kerry said...

I love your blog! I have just started Fa La La, it is so cute. I have joined a stitching store's stitch an ornament a month. It was the first one. We are having a cold winter in Canada, I have heard you have had a little of the white stuff too. I have a cousin who lives in London, she is not happy with the weather! Hope you check out my blog.
Happy stitching!

Kathy said...

Your Fa La La is lovely. And I know those beads can be a nightmare but they are oh so worth it aren't they? :)

Good luck with the diet. Been there. Done that. And don't plan on thinking about it. LOL

Thank you for your comment on my blog. I notice your version of Simply Live hanging on your wall. Gorgeous. I hope mine will be up there soon.

MysteryKnitter said...

Well, now I start reading the year 2010. Let's see how it looks like. I am pretty sure you have snow there, just like we have here. Our winter at the moment is pretty cold, but warm knitwear helps.