Traveling The World

By way of blogs that is!

There really are some lovely blogs in blog land; and it amazes me how many stitching projects people manage to get finished & framed or made into the most lovely things. I have not managed to finish ONE thing yet this year, and i only have 2 on the go!, OK they are almost there but it leaves me wondering how people find the time, I'm exhausted just reading the blog posts, lol. That's another thing, most stitchers seem to have WIP's going on everywhere, how do you keep track! I have thought of doing a rotation and having a few on the go but then i just feel that I'm not achieving anything, I have come to the conclusion that i am a plodder lol, i think i work much better when i have one thing going on at a time, don't get me wrong, i have been a serial starter and must have wasted ££££'s over the years, the charts & materials were put to one side because i had seen another that i must do (sound familiar!) then i would come across them at a much later date and not feel the slightest inclination to carry on with them. Not anymore, I'm cured lol, i have the greatest admiration for you ladies out there that can keep several projects going at once and not loose interest (or the chart) but i think i will carry on with my plodding. So, as you will guess, i have no stitching to show you, (sigh), I have one more word to complete on my LK and a few more stitches to complete my monthly ornament SAL which i was hoping also to get made up before the end of the month, so perhaps next week.

On another note, we had a good weekend, OH and i decided to have a day in Bromsgrove (or rather i said i am fed up sitting in on Saturdays, we are going out for the day!) either way we found ourselves there and had a few pleasant hours browsing round the shops and came across a secondhand bookshop and guess what i found? Only the Bill Bryson book i have been looking for, The Lost Continent. It's not a first edition but a re-print of the 1989 London edition (which was when it was first printed) if that makes sense? plus it didn't have the £85 price tag! like i told OH, i saved him £80. Why's that said he? Because i would have paid that much eventually said I, he he.

I do have a book club edition of this particular book but they change with publications, so i shall keep that one too because it does have some nice photos included. I started reading Saturday night. In this book BB has been living in England for 10 years but has a yearning to return to his roots, he borrows his mothers Chevrolet and sets off on his travels through thirty eight states, keeping mainly to back roads and small towns, the book tells of his encounters along the way with the usual BB wit and observations. I had read a review a while ago that said they thought this book was just an excuse to make fun of America & Americans, i don't see it that way, (he makes fun of the UK and the English to), it's just his humour. Anyway...... OH had a couple of books too so we both came away happy. On the way back we made a detour and had a late lunch in a little country pub just to complete the day. It's not often we get to spend time together like that because he works away during the week so it made a really pleasant change. Hope you all had good weekends too.

Tara-a-bit x

Saturday update on life

I seem to have been falling behind with stitching a little this week, on Thursday i had to come home from work mid morning, i was feeling so sick with a pounding head no amount of cocodamol would take away, i went straight off to bed where i stayed till 7pm, didn't feel much better on Friday morning so called in sick and had a lazy day at home. Don't know where i picked the bug up from, but happily today i feel much better. The other thing that has been keeping me occupied is reading, but more about that later. This is my progress on my Lizzie Kate double flip it.

I'm enjoying working on this although it does seem to have been a long WIP. I've only got 2 more 'words' to stitch and the boarder and i will be offering the whole series of charts (minus charms of course) as a swap with anyone who has the whole series of any other LK double flip its, so if you would like to do this keep watching for the finish :-)
The other thing I'm working on at the moment is my monthly ornament SAL, i decided to stitch a Rainbow Gallery 'freebie'. I had thought initially that i would make this into a small pillow, but the finished piece is going to be too small for that i think, so looks like is will be a door hanging.

The reading I've been doing is Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There, (travels in Europe) I've been carrying this book around with me everywhere the last week, it's come to work with me to read in between phone calls (which have been a bit thin on the ground soon after the Christmas break). I get some strange looks from the lads when they come through reception and they find me tittering away to myself, they think I've finally lost the plot! . For those who have never read Bill Bryson be warned that you should never read his books in public for fear of laughing out load and being cast as a loony! Neither Here Nor There finds him traveling countries in Europe, it was one of his earlier books and i am finding it fascinating visiting different countries with him, one of them Yugoslavia, which of course is no longer and using their different currencies before the horrible Euro come to be, half the fun of going on holiday before the Euro was the fun of having foreign money, now all we get is the same 'chocolate' coins all across Europe. Anyway, i discovered one of his books one day whilst cleaning out a long forgotten cupboard, the book was called Down Under, his account of travelling around Australia, i was hooked! his wit, observations and description of his travels had me engrossed and wanting more! I think I've learned more about geography by reading BB books than i ever did at school!

DH works away during the week and came back one weekend with Made In America, i was thrilled to find when i opened it that it was a 1st edition and signed, how lucky was that! I have since been collecting BB books and have been looking for 1st edition prints. I've managed to find one more 1st edition that is signed , a couple of weeks ago i came across Notes From A Small Island on a book site on the Internet and treated myself to it. I have yet to read this one, but I'm sure its as good as the other reads. I am happy that i have two 1st editions that are signed, my others are 1st editions except for The Lost Continent which i was duped when buying, it is a book club edition which the seller failed to point out, i was very disappointed as this book was his first and is defiantly out of print, i have found a 1st edition of this book but i shall have to save for it as i cannot justify the £85 price tag at the moment!

I'll leave you now because I'm starting to sound like Bill Brysons agent, lol. Time to get some stitching done, might manage a couple of hours before tea time.

Thanks for stopping by...Tara-a-bit xx

I have no stitching to report on, i've been doing a bit of sorting out when i get home in the afternoon and before i've realsised the time it's been too late to start. At least i am getting to de-clutter! Next to sort is my stitchy mags, i have far too many, i hate to throw them away so i thought i might have a bit of a give-away on my blog, i'm not sure anyone would be interested though, what do you think?

If you have visited me here before you will have noticed that my cats feature quite a lot, they are my babies, lol, so when i came across this on someones blog i had to have a go! They got it spot on about the trusting bit! but 'sweet tempered'??? i think my DH would have a thing or two to say about that one, (he he!)

Til next time...Tara-a-bit x

You Are a Persian Cat

You are very high-maintenance, at least as far as keeping up your appearance goes. But you're surprisingly low-maintenance in every other aspect of your life. You are peaceful and sweet tempered. People enjoy your company. You are loving and a good companion, but it takes you a while to trust people.

What Breed of Cat Are You?

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas, ours has been quiet apart from seeing family i haven't ventured out of the house much; i have given the dreaded sales a miss, i hate the crowds and rummaging through things, most of which is bought in especially for the sale season anyway.

I was hoping to get more stitching done over the holidays but i have managed to finished off 2 ornies today for my December SAL, both are freebie charts, and I'm quite pleased how they have turned out.It's a pity i didn't finish them a little earlier, as they will be packed away until next Christmas in a few days. Usually i take my decorations down on new years day, this time I'm going to leave them up a little longer, somehow i have really enjoyed having the tree and my bits and pieces around this Christmas, it will look a little bare without the tree in my dining room. Guess who was hiding in there today......
...Millie :-) she does get in the strangest of places, she is such a comical cat, much more so than Molly who is really laid back. She loves to be warm and if i don't make the beds real quick in the morning she soon snuggles down in there for the day.
This morning we woke to find that Jack Frost had been to visit us in the night

I noticed this on the washing line this morning, but no sign of it's occupant.


I even thought i saw the start of a little snow flurry, but that may have been wishful thinking, lol.
I'll leave you with one more photo of Millie, this is where she's took to lying if she's cold
Wishing you all a healthy & happy 2009....till then, Tara-a-bit xxx

Finally the painting in the dining room is all finished and my tree is up...yaaaaay it does look a bit bare at the moment though, i couldn't find the little thingies to hang the baubles on with, i will get some tomorrow when I'm out and it should look a bit better then.So, how do you like my red wall?? I have always fancied having a wall in red but never been brave enough to try it, hubby said just go for it, so i did! and I'm so glad:) it warms the room up lovely and i love it. As you can see i even managed to persuade dh about the sofa in the dining room! and it make the room more cosy and usable.

I found the little stars hanging from my light in the local Tesco, also came across these little felt decorations, all at a reduced price and they look great hanging from the cupboard doors.

We bought some chestnuts on Saturday and they are sitting in Santa's sleigh ready to be roasted on the fire over Christmas.

Another bargain picked up at Tesco was this Noel which is sitting on the side board

I actually bought 3 of these, they are so lovely, i have one on the mantle in the sitting room and the other on the fire place in my bedroom. One last bargain buy was this reindeer, star and bell garland on string, it's quite primitive and simple looking

I've done quite well for bargain buys in decorations this year, i have a lovely table cloth for Christmas day from Ikea and some charger plates , but those belong to another post... so for now, tara-a-bit xx

Finally I've found five minutes to sit down, all be it 12 midnight when really i should be in bed as i still have work tomorrow :o All week I've been trying to get the dining room painting finished so that the tree can at last be put up this weekend, I should be able to finish off on Saturday, not tomorrow as it's our staff 'do' tomorrow night, meal and free bar from 5-8pm, not sure to expect from where we are going the reports of the place are not good...we shall see!

My dd#2 is coming home from uni on Monday, so my task for Sunday is to get her room ready, I'm afraid it's become a dumping ground for Christmas presents and wrapping paper over the last couple of weeks. It was her 21st on December 2nd..

Jo with her 21st balloon. All girls together.


It will be my eldest daughters birthday on Monday. December is a very busy month for us, my wedding anniversary is on Saturday, (i ask you, what on earth possessed us to get married this close to Christmas, I swear when we married it didn't seem this close, lol, i remember the sun was shining), we don't usually celebrate our wedding anniversary it's a long story but usually one or both of us usually forget and the date has passed before we realise, too many other things going on i suppose. Then it's my birthday on 27th & my brothers on 28th, phew! at least we get a break on the birthday front until April!.
Just one more photo to share, i heard that Gillie has received the Christmas ornament and goodies i sent her, i really enjoyed stitching this and i achieved a couple of 'firsts' for me, one being my first stitched Santa and the other being the first time i made cording. I hope you like it Gillie
Isn't he cute, i almost wanted to keep him for myself lol, but i know he's gone to a good home :)On that note i will say goodnight, i have to be up at 7am and its 12.30 now, not going to get much beauty sleep tonight!..Tara a bit x

Winter Warmer

For the last 2 years we have talked about getting a log burner in our dining room, the fireplace had already been taken out when we moved into this house but the 'hole' where it had been had been left, complete with the old bricks at the back, the chimney had been plasterboard over and the sides skimmed so that just left a hearth to be built and the chimney opened up, simple eh? my DH works away during the week so everything seems to take longer to get done only having the weekend in which to do DIY, but we have got there and as of last weekend this is what is now in my dining room :) We had logs delivered last weekend too so every day when i've come in from work i have set to work lighting my gorgeous log burner :) and i'm loving it, lol I am now trying to explain to my husband that we NEED to put a sofa in the dining room as there is only me and my DD #3 at home in the week we could sit in the dining room and save on the heating bills, makes perfect sense to me lol. Will keep you posted on how long it takes for him to think it was his idea to have a sofa in the dining room!!! lol.
I have been stitching too this week, no photos though because it is for a Christmas ornament exchange, my Lizzie Kate double flip-its have been put to one side until the ornie is done and posted, i am exactly half way through the LK, hope to finish it before Christmas and will post a photo then, so until next time tara-a-bit x