Just Another Bank Holiday Monday And It.....

Was a very typical one for the UK, not very warm and ending in rain. I knew i was being optimistic when i bought a new patio set last week, might be weeks now before we get to use it! Being Bank Holiday we had an extra long weekend so we decided to drive out to a car boot sale and have a rummage - i love a good rummage, do you? I was to be disappointed today though, nothing worth rummaging in, seemed like everyone was just getting out last years 'un sold's' and my only find was another Tudor book - The Queen's Sorrows, Suzannah Dunn, (yes, i know, I'm becoming obsessed!) If only I'd known how interesting the Tudors were when i was taking History at school i might have fared better than a C in my exams (or was it a D? been so long i forget!) either way it was not good.

Wednesday this week bought on another throat infection which really knocked me for six, i went into work only to come home again mid morning because i lost my voice, not a good thing when you work on a switchboard, Thursday i managed to go to work but absolutely had no life in me whatsoever and come Friday morning i woke up as a mutant with a second set of eyelids, the result of something that did not agree with me again, so instead of going to work i made a trip to the doctors. I'm to take antihistamines for a month to try and settle it down (whatever 'it' is).

Anyhoo..you didn't come here to read about my ailments so how about a stitchy photo?

LHN Snowy Pines

DMC Threads on a mystery piece of linen

I don't know what count the fabric was i used but this one came out smaller than the others, and i think now i do prefer them a little bit bigger. I also managed another finish on my ABC, no photos until it comes back though, i was so eager to get it up to Betty's for framing i forgot. I hadn't realised how long this one had been going until i looked back through my blog, it was last April i started it, where does the time go!!

Stevie has her School Prom this Friday so a busy few days ahead being filled with hair, nail, tanning and makeup appointments. I'm not going to sit down and tot up how much this Prom has cost, it's just a lot, an awful lot, but i am so looking forward to seeing her all dressed up, I'm sure it will be worth every last penny:-)

So, next time hopefully lots of photos of Stevie in her glad rags and my long awaited ABC finish, which incidentally i have dedicated to Stevie as it will mark some milestones in her life, she turned 16 in the week i finished it, officially left school last Friday and of course her Prom.

Well that's all folks, except to say that i have added some swaps / trades and some freebies on my other blog, the link is in the sidebar if you want a wonder on over to see if anything takes your fancy...if it does, give me a shout.

As always, thank you for your lovey comments which really do mean so much to me as do your continued visits to read my ramblings. x

Sweet Sixteen

On Thursday 21st April 1994 at 11.27pm my youngest daughter Stevie-Leigh made her arrival into the world, weighing in at a hefty 9lb 11oz, (can i hear a collective 'ouch'!!).

It must have been something to do with the craving i had for milk when i was pregnant, i drank gallons of the stuff, not in the normal way, it had to be put in the freezer until little ice crystals formed and i would eat it with a spoon! glass after glass went in the freezer day after day, funny thing is, before i got pregnant i didn't really like milk and would never ever drink a glass, and it goes without saying that after the event i have never drunk milk!! I had a similar relationship with raw carrots, couldn't get enough of them! until i read something about carotene poisoning, i remember going to my doctors for an antenatal appointment and asking him in a panic if i was going to have an orange baby!! He laughed and said 'No, he didn't think so' (whilst giving me a look that said 'we have a right one here!')

This is Stevie at about 3 or 4 months old with a rather puzzled look on her face!

As you can see, i didn't have an orange baby! She is really tall though, at 5' 9" she is way taller than most of her friends

Happy 16th Birthday Stevie!

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Thank you all for your kind comments on my LHN ornie and the congratulations and well wishes for my #1DD. Her passing out ceremony went well, (i have since learnt that the official name for this is an Attestation), she will be in training now for the next 17 weeks before she is let loose on catching criminals! there is lots to learn, she is getting tons of reading/homework but is loving every minute.

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I've given this week up to finishing my ABC and thanks to the frog hopping it and an almost all day stitching fest on Saturday I'm primed for a finish for the weekend.
No stiching tonight, as we went out for a meal in honor of the Birthday Girl, but I'll be getting a numb bum on Thursday & Friday night to get that finish :-)

Speak soon. x

He's A Flake - He's A Finished!

Here's the little guy all stitched up and finished off!

I must say that he looked nothing special from the chart but now he's all done i just love him!!

LHN Monthly Ornament - 'He's A Flake'

Stitched with the recommended threads

Linen - mystery piece from my stash

It's a pity he's got to be hidden away in a box until Christmas, i want to show him off now!, lol

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I dug out my ABC to work on this weekend, I'd forgotten that i was so close to finishing this one. I was happily stitching away yesterday afternoon on the border until i noticed that i was one stitch off, this is the offending bit

I started one stitch too high, i can't ignore it because it will throw the rest off, but i was too disheartened yesterday to rip it out and started over on the other side instead, I'll take out the little blighters in a couple of days when I've got over it!

Only two sections to go on this piece so I'm going to keep going this week and see if i can get done.

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My other exciting news to share tonight is that my eldest daughter has started her training as a Police Constable today and we will be having a 'Proud Parent Moment' tomorrow night watching her at her passing out ceremony, i can't tell you how proud we are of her, she is such a hard worker and always gives 100% in everything she does and so deserves every success :-)

Right, that's me caught up for a few days, off to settle into bed with my book and a cuppa :-) Until next time xx

Rubie Owl

Tomorrow morning is back to work, I've had four lovely days off and since Bank Holiday weather is notoriously bad here in the UK i had nothing more energetic planned than sitting and stitching and catching on TV programmes I'd recorded. (I've become addicted to Anthea Turner's Perfect Housewife). It's on the 'Home' Channel between 1am-3am, which only goes to show how sad i am as the programme doesn't even warrant prime time viewing!! What can i say, the woman has some great cleaning and storage tips!!

I've also been playing about with my blog colours, again! i can't seem to find something to stick with, these will do for now though. My header is a photo i took of the daffodils in my garden, me and my daughter planted over 200 of them last year and i am thrilled so many made it to flowering :-) They bring a lovey splash of colour to the garden even when it's raining.

Anyway, here's the progress i made on Rubie Owl.

I really love the way these colours jump out at you, but does anyone else have a problem with Belle Soie silks knotting? I usually work with about a yard of floss but have had to reduce this to less because of knotting.

The fabric is more of a sandy colour, which is refusing to show up true in the photos.

the weekend was spent stitching mostly leaves, and after a while I lost the ability to count! i must have frogged as many as I've stitched!! I need to order a couple of colours to finish off the tree, and because of the Bank Holiday they will be a few more days yet.

I'm putting Rubie back in the bag this week and working on the LHN monthly ornament, He's A Flake, it feels like ages since i had a finish and this looks like it will be a quickie. Until next time, have a great week.

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Just Catching Up

Hello Peeps! Ive been poised to do a blog entry since last week but somehow other things keep getting in the way. We had a great break in Poland, apart from DH completely driving me nuts, lol, you've heard the saying 'less is more', well let me tell you, that saying definitely applies to time spent with my DH. Perhaps it's because I'm only used to his company at the weekends (and let me tell you I'm quite happy with that!) but i had forgotten how he can sulk and take offence at the smallest thing!! Oh well, i suppose we all have our crosses to bear, and he's mine, lol.
While in Poland we visited Auschwitz which was something else, there really are some horrific tales from that place, and also the salt mines which was OK but not as exciting as i thought it would be. The weather was kind to us, not cold like i thought it would be, in fact when i phoned home they told me it was wet and miserable in the UK whereas Poland was basking in sunshine! I haven't managed to upload any photos of the trip yet, perhaps over the Easter break I'll have time.

Saturday just gone was the Hobby Craft show at the NEC in Birmingham so i took myself off there for the day on Saturday, just me myself & I, it was heaven! here's a few stitchy goodies i bought home with me.

The plastic thread keeper i bought before i came across the wooden ones, i much prefer the wood. The thread heaven i haven't used yet but have heard good reports.

And because a girl can't have enough handbags, this beautiful Italian bull leather handbag found it's way home with me :-) I also treated myself to a new phone case & specs case in a funky purple colour.

I bought the little charm on the bag on Saturday too. The bag was way, way (like a week of my wages expensive!!!!!) but the little charm is cheap & cheerful!

I knew my DH had his good points :-) one of them being he never ever complains if i spend money, nor does he ever ask how much anything costs, just says, 'yeah nice' so he's not so bad ;-)

When i was catching up on blogs last week i found out Sherry had left me my first award! Thank you so much for thinking of me Sherry. I'm supposed to pass it onto 12 bloggers but I've been looking around and most of the blogs i read have already been awarded this, so I'll cheat a little and say that if i read your blog or you are on my blog roll and have not received this award then consider yourself Sunshine awarded!

Another lovely surprise was to find out that i had won a consolation prize from Felicity i shall eagerly await the post man!

Well that's about it for now, you will have noticed that there are no stitchy pics, I've been stitching, honest! and to prove it an update of Rubie Owl will follow soon. Until then, take care x

I'm Still Here - Honest!

Bet you thought seeing as I'd been MIA for so long that i would have lots of little x's to show, you will be sorely disappointed my friends, there are no stitchy updates for this post, sorry to say that there is hardly anything worth showing. I have some purchases from the Bay of Evil which i will share next time & a new way to store my WIPs' which I'm pleased to have found, also to be shared next time :-)

My photography class is going well, still really enjoying it (thank you for all your wonderful comments on my 'Love of Books' photo) they really did boost my confidence & for me it was definitely my best shot yet! I have signed up for the Spring term classes so hopefully will have more shots to share. We've been working on Cyanotypes, a form of early printing and i was extremely pleased with my print, so pleased I'm intending on getting it framed! I'll show that over the next few weeks too Sorry to be such a tease ;-)

I'm still on my health eating 'none diet' and (drum roll please) i have now lost 15Lb's. I can't tell you how good it felt when i took a pair of size 12 jeans (UK sizing) in the changing room on Saturday and they FIT!!! I have tried loosing weight in the past but never stuck to anything and i don't know why this time should be any different, it just has, i really think the eating breakfast at 'breakfast time' has helped. Also not labeling it as a 'diet' has helped, i have not bought any special diet options of anything, just cut out the crap and learnt to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full! and obviously that's what's working for me so I'm sticking to it!

Anyway, what i came here to say is that we are off on one of our little sight seeing trips again on Wednesday, Krakow in Poland this time, we will be back sometime the following Monday and if time allows i will update stitching and such after that.

That's it for now, off to sort out my waterproof jacket as the weather forecast for Poland is still showing little snowflakes!!

Have fun whatever you may be up to x

Wordless Wednesday (not)

Greetings Peeps! thank you all so much for your well wishes for my mammogram and scan on Monday, I'm happy to report that all is well, nothing at all to be worried about, thank goodness :-) I had both scan & mammogram and the conclusion was that it was 'glandular' probably caused by hormones. The consultant recommend taking Angus Castus which can be bought from the health food shop, it's taken in liquid form, added to water and sipped throughout the day and supposedly helps to balance out the hormones. I'm giving it a go anyway to see if it will make a difference. so, big sign of relief and i feel much better in my mind this week :-)

I enrolled on another photography course in January and thought it would be nice to show off some of my photos, sort of like Wordless Wednesday, except of course this Wednesday i haven't shut up yet, ;-) I'd love to hear your comments and/or criticism on my efforts. So, if you're reading this please take time to let me know what you think.

Without further blabbering here's Wendnesday's photo

~~~Love of Books~~~