Sunday 31 January 2016

January Over All Ready!!!

Morning All...

I cannot believe how we have hurtled through January already! It really has gone quickly...and now I'm quite happy for Spring to making little signs of waking up :)

The weather has been its usually mixed up self again this week...although it has been colder...so at least I have had some wear out of the new winter woollies that had been purchased in preparation :)

The Grandsons have been enjoying the muddy puddles :) doesn't it make you smile when they enjoy such simple pleasures...I still love paddling in muddy puddles :)


I seem to have had a very crafty week...(so that's why there's dust on the mantle ha ha )...I've joined all the squares in my bright and breezy blanket....



I have loved working with these colours...they are very different for me...but I shall be returning again in the future :)

With the little left overs I made a teeny tiny blanket for a dolly or teddy....


And I've kept up to date with the daily squares...I'm thinking now that with the pile growing I'm going to have to start joining them up into little blocks...so I may start that this week :)


I did make my little bit of crochet wall art too....ready for the craft room...


And...I painted the little drawers...but they are not quite finished yet...as I changed my mind about the handles and have ordered new ones...so I'm saving the photos of that until its done :) but here's a sneaky peek...


New handles...
My bake this week was a Cherry Bakewell...done in a large tray and cut into slices...and topped with white chocolate...yummy



I purchased some tulips this week...don't you just love tulips :) as I know a lot of you buy these...I thought I would share a little tip from my floristry days with you that some may not know...tulips continue to grow in the vase! That's why they go "leggy" and bend over...its because the stems are getting too long...you need to top the water up each day as they are thirsty little flowers...and chop an inch off the stems each day...or every other day...here's the photos of mine....

this is the day I bought them and trimmed and popped in the vase...measuring about 12 inches...


this is the following day...as you can see they are now 13 inches...so an inch growth in a day!
Trimming them down will make them last so much longer.... :)

My favourite interior I've found this week is this lounge...oh how I could just be so happy here...I love the colour scheme :)


I have become addicted to "Fixer Upper"...I always followed Jo and Chip on Facebook and Pinterest but I didn't know we got their TV programme over here in the UK...until I was flicking through the TV mag and there it was...on every day...I was over joyed...I just love Jo's sense of style and the way she re-uses old objects....I soooo want a "fixer upper" of my own.... (entered in to dream home state of mind....)

My favourite photo of the week on Pinterest has been this...

isn't it adorable...I'm not sure I would have used it in the laundry...but what a great idea for a child's bedroom or playroom...I would have it in my craft room...I love dolls houses...maybe I should buy a dolls house as my "fixer upper"...now there's a thought ha ha

Now that my blanket is finished I looked to my wool stash to decide what to make next....Hubby asked if I needed any more wool yet? As I was deep in thought about the next blanket project...I stupidly answered "no...I've got enough".... how on earth did those words come out of my mouth????


So...the next day I huffed a bit...and he said "what's the matter"...to which I replied "you know I don't seem to have the right colour combo I'm looking for in the wool I have left"...I kept my fingers tightly crossed behind my back as I was telling a little fib...because of course I had the wool I wanted...but I wanted more...more...more...to which he replied "I thought that might be the case when I asked you...go and order what you want"....yay! Happily I ordered another top up for the stash....I'm so happy...so next time I must remember to keep my wits about me when he asks again ha ha :)

This is what's in the basket now...and stripes for a change...



So I seem to have hurtled through this week myself...and I've so enjoyed it...its been quite a light week...no deep thinking time this week :)

Its been a bit of a photo heavy post this week hasn't it...so I will leave you with yet another two...this weeks vintage photo had to change this morning...with the sad news of the death of another national treasure....Sir Terry Wogan...you have made me smile over the years....you will be missed by many

photo from silversurfers.com

And this weeks quote...a very simple one....

I have a few of these...and I thank my lucky stars...I'm very blessed to have some of the best friends....

I will take my leave for this week...so have a fabulous week...enjoy everything you do...maybe go a little crazy with your friends.... :) xxxxxxx

Thank you for your lovely comments that you leave here on the blog and on the Facebook page...they really do mean a lot and make my heart sing a little louder :) xxx










Sunday 24 January 2016

The Universe at Work :)

Hello Happy Sunday :)

This week has been topsy turvy...I know we are all obsessed with the weather here in England...but you can't blame us this week...we have had everything! Last weekend and the beginning of the week we were -5 degrees and we had snow....then we had hard frosts but sunny days and blue skies...then just a sunny day (which was lovely) where temperatures in our garden reached 21 degrees!! Next day rain and fog...today its dismal and 12 degrees...what's going on! The only thing we haven't had here is hail but I'm someone probably has had it!

Anyway enough of our weather...I have had a mouth ulcer this week...on my tongue (my nan would have said I'd have been telling lies...but I haven't!)  and boy has it been painful...but I'm well prepared for ulcers as I have suffered from them for years...but usually when I'm stressed but that's not the case this time...so I think the Universe has been at work...telling me to be quiet and shut up! ha ha its a know fact that I'm a chatterbox (my friends all have permission to tell me to shut up when I'm with them)  so it really has been quiet around here this week! Hubby has loved it :) and when this popped up on my Facebook page...I really do think the Universe has been trying to tell me something....


So I've taken heed and relaxed and been kind to myself all week...a little bit of Reiki...I practice Reiki everyday but this week has been kinda special...a bit of meditation...not sitting crossed legged and chanting kind of meditation (that's not my thing) just quiet contemplation...in fact I find my daily walks out in the fresh air...in nature... all the mediation I need and a lot of "living in the moment" and I have to say it has been wonderful...although I have felt a little under the weather I have really enjoyed my week...its bought me back down the earth....grounded and I feel so much better :)

My bake this week was...Lemon Meringue Pie....(nice and soft so I could still eat it :) )


It looked amazing when it came out the oven...all puffed up and billowy...it looked like one of the old fashioned silk parachutes had just landed on the top :)  I have never made one of these from scratch (I've only made one using the shop bought pack) and the kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off in it...a lesson I have learnt is that you need to do all the measuring of ingredients BEFORE you start! But it tasted amazing I was very pleased with myself :)


On the crafty front...its just been crochet this week...the daily squares are growing...daily funnily enough!


and I have finished my squares for the granny square blanket...they are all neat in their little piles ready to be joined....


This is the first two rows joined with white....



I'm loving this colour combo... <3

On the beautiful frosty, sunny day I thought I would walk to the shops to get what we needed...its about a mile trip...but its a short walk across the field and down the brook...so a very pleasant walk...and as my mind was focused on quiet contemplation it was perfect...I got my "dolly" bag out...I'm not sure why we call them dolly bags...Hubby calls it my Granny trolley...well I'm a granny...its easy to carry the shopping home...and without it he wouldn't have had his beer!


It was perfect...a nice pop of colour and even has a handy pocket on the back to put my bunch of roses! :) It was a lovely walk...the birds were all very busy...a squirrel was playing in the branches and the snowdrops are out and in bloom...


My favourite interior photo from Pinterest this week is...


I just adore these cupboard doors...its another photo for the dream house board...well you gotta dream... :)

But by far my favourite photo of the week was this....and I am so going to try this next time we have a frost or snow in the garden :)


Isn't is adorable? You could...if you have a big enough garden...write something in bird seed...maybe Happy Birthday for the recipient to see...but the heart is great for Valentines day :)

Well during my quiet week of thinking...my plans for next week include these...


I'm starting off small...with my little box of drawers...but the plan is to eventually do my craft cupboard...but I also want to start my Hopes..Dreams and Wishes book and make something crafty but crochet based...so hopefully I will have lots to show you next week...

So I will take my leave...and finally the vintage photo...

When I saw this it bought back so many memories of shopping on a Saturday afternoon with my best friend...we met every week and we would end up in Beatties (our posh shop in town) in the café and have Ice-cream Soda's...yummy :)

And the quote for this week....


a follow on from my week...that I will be taking into next week...live in the moment...take everything in....there is soooo much to see!

See you next week...have a fabulous time...enjoy everything you do xxxxx

P.S I didn't want to put this in the main part of the blog as it makes me sad...but I have to record it as its my diary...two of my very best friends have lost their pets over the last few weeks...one has lost her puddy cat and this week my other bestie has lost her little dog Finn...he was in his 18th year :( xxx










Sunday 17 January 2016

Winter Has Finally Arrived :)

Helloooo....Winter has finally arrived...yay :)

We have had snow and the temperature has been in the minus'...now I wish I could post beautiful photos of whitewashed landscapes and powder coated branches...but I can't...the snow has been very light here and if it has snowed heavy its slushy...but there's been enough for us all to have a slip and slide and make ourselves giggle :) Its been Puppy Dogs first glimpse of a snow covered world...the early morning trip to the garden was filled with wonderment...by the time we got the garden she looked like a Dalmatian and she just stood there looking to the sky wondering what on earth was falling in from it! :) On our walks it really has frisked her up and she's pirouetting and proper skittish :) now we've always had smallish dogs...who look cute when they are playing in the snow....Puppy Dog is 5 and half stone....a skittish puppy who weighs that much is dangerous! She's nearly taken my legs from under me several times :) ...but its lovely to see them play...just like children...it takes me back to building snowmen...writing in the snow and making snow angels with my daughter when she was little...and thankfully my grandsons have been doing just that same thing this weekend...out in the snow as soon as it started...its heartwarming to see that the simple pleasures still exist in this very modern world... :)  

The list making and organising has continued this week...my crafty cupboard and desk look mighty organised :))) and crochet has been in abundance...my little pile of daily squares is growing...


I have finished my Patchwork Blanket order...that will be making its way to its lovely new owner next week...


and I have started the next blanket already....


Now I'm a lover of Stylecraft Special DK yarn...its fabulous to work with and is robust for blanket making...but a while ago I did purchase a "Cath Kidston" inspired pack of New Fashion DK as it was on offer at a fantastic price...this is what I'm using at the moment...and although it doesn't feel the same...the squares make up really quickly...its slightly thicker than the Stylecraft yarn...I think it will be lovely and warm when its finished...I'm not a convert but I am liking this yarn...I would definitely buy more :)

My bake this week was chocolate brownies...well sort of...I can honestly say that I have never had a brownie... as the ones in supermarket look dry to me...but I have been watching James Martins Home Comforts of an afternoon and he made chocolate and cherry brownies which looked delicious...so I got the recipe and decided that was what I would make...now he used fresh cherries...well there were non to be found (not surprising as they are not in season) so I substituted the cherries with....Rolo's...yes Rolo's...when I relayed this story to my friend when we had lunch she nearly choked...and we had a good laugh about it...well the said tray bake came out of the oven...and it didn't look like James's...in fact it was so sticky I had to cut it with scissors! Ha ha....my friend has a slice when we got home (now she is a lover of brownies) and she said it was lovely...although  she said I had made a new version as it wasn't like a brownie at all ha ha....well this is all thats left now....


and it has been yummy...its got better as the days have gone on...and I think the Rolo's were a great addition :)

Having given my previous mixer to my daughter she seems to have caught the baking bug and made these for her mother-in-laws birthday yesterday... don't they look lovely... :)


This week also sadly saw us lose two very British Icons to cancer...


David Bowie...I think there is Bowie for all of us...he re-invented himself so many times...and you may not have liked all of these periods...but there's so many songs to choose from... and....


the wonderful Alan Rickman...such a brilliant actor...who will be remembered by the young for Harry Potter and the old for so many other movies...may they both rest in peace...

We'll leave the sadness behind now...

my favourite find this week on Pinterest has been these...

photo from Pinterest

and I'm pondering on how I can make some...maybe Paper Mache......


I've decided that my list on the calendar today has just one task on it...it says...relax...so that's what I'm doing...Hubby is at work...so I will be catching up on shows I've recorded and crocheting...just lovely and cosy with the Puppy Dog who loves nothing better than being wrapped in snuggly blankets :) ...this interior photo I saw this week would be the perfect place today I think...

photo taken from Pinterest

It just looks so cosy and inviting.... :)

Well I will take my leave for this week....I wonder what next week will bring....

The vintage photo is....

childhood games...my goodness we used to skip for hours...I cant remember the last time I saw children playing skipping??? and do you remember "Clackers"...I loved these...I remember all the bruises from practicing so much to get it right...I'm sure we all say this as we get older...but I do think times were better when we all played like this...out with our friends... instead of computer games today which doesn't really involve any friends...or being outdoors!

This weeks quote...

I just loved this little girls face...and it does inspire you to..."Get Your Happy On"

Have a great week...enjoy everything you do...and go and jump in some puddles and Get Your Happy On!  Ha Ha xxxxxxxxxxxx
 











Sunday 10 January 2016

Organising & Dreaming.....

Hello and Happy Sunday....as the title suggests its been a week of getting myself organised...and when I thought about this week...there's been a lot of dreams and wishes too :)

I have to say I have felt quite virtuous this week...as you know I'm a list writer...and that's what I have done this week...a list each day but a list of things I've been putting off...things I didn't want to do...if I write them down I have to do it...I'm the sort of person that has to complete each task and I take great pleasure in crossing them off :0) and it has to be on paper not the IPad...I have to have that delight in having a crossed off list! :)

So on my list this week was:

Turning up trousers...I HATE, HATE, HATE that job (can you tell I don't like it ha ha) 

Tidying and sorting THAT cupboard...we all have one (I hope?) the cupboard where everything goes to be sorted later...the one that your afraid to open the door because you know the whole lot will come tumbling out :)

Cleaning and sorting my wardrobe and shoes...that's a little like the cupboard ha ha

(I will check this post for spelling mistakes later...but if I've missed any I apologise...I've only got this far in and my fingers don't seem to know how to spell this week...everything is coming out jumbled up!)

So...I did the trousers and that was such a good job done...I felt soooo happy!

The cupboard emptied its self (as I knew it would) and Hubby was dispatched to the shops to buy those vacuum pack bags...this sorting was getting serious!  And I can happily report...holiday blankets have been packed away...things have been thrown away (gulp)...and my wool stash has been corralled (yay...room for more now)

My wardrobe has been sorted...clothes re-hung...a bag full of stuff for my daughter to sort through...and my shoes organised in boxes!!

So a To Do List worked a treat...so much so that I am tasking myself to do this everyday...I have found a calendar that has 4 lines per day...I'm sure I can do 4 tasks each day...with the idea of having a perfectly run home (well they say its possible on some of the blogs I read :) )

I must be careful...my halo is getting a little high ha ha :) 

I made my first cake of the year...with my new mixer...oh how I love my mixer <3


it was a rather large cake...but it has fed quite a few peoples sweet tooth this week :)

Crochet has been steady this week...all the little squares are complete for the Patchwork Blanket order...all in nice little neat piles ready to be joined...which will start this afternoon :)


I had been reading on a few blogs that people were making temperature scale blankets...you have a scale of colours corresponding to the temperature of the day...and each day you crochet a row of colour associated with the degrees of that day...well the way the weather has been here and the lack of change in the temp I didn't feel it would be a very interesting thing to do for myself...but I loved the idea of having a project that took only a little time each day...to last over the whole year...so I've decided to make a larger Patchwork Blanket...crocheting a square each day to make up a large piece of work at the end of the year...so this is it thus far....


I haven't done todays square yet...but I think I'm going to love this...  :)

My friend's gift to me at Christmas was this....


Now I've never done scrapbooking...but she knows me so well...that I'm always dreaming and wishing so she "hit the nail on the head" with this gift...and it is going to be a dreams and wishes book but also a positive, confidence boosting book...all the little ideas and quotes and kind feedback I get from purchasers of my "makes" are going into this...so when I have a "wobble" and I think I'm useless...I can read through this to boost me back up :)

And just to prove that she really does know me...so very, very, well...(she hates Pink so this must have nearly killed her to pick this up ha ha)



Hubby has put the paintings up that I commissioned for him...they fit right in...made themselves very much at home....


My favourite idea from the internet this week has been this....


not particularly the cork wreath...but I like the idea of using them in the garden and as little key rings or labelling them with the occasion celebrated and nice little reminder :)

My favourite interior Pin this week is this....


I love the idea of making an island to look more like a table...it doesn't seem so permanent...

So now my fingers have completely given up...I have no idea why they and my brain are acting up today...so I will take my leave for this week...but I just wanted to say...that if you feel like you've broken all or some of you New Year resolutions...its a New Moon today...so you can make a new start :)

This weeks vintage photo...


who remembers these...Oh the days of simple play...I used to love these...not really to use...I just love the cutting out! Maybe that's where my love of papercutting has come from :)

This weeks quote...


is written on a gorgeous print from the very talented Katie Daisy...I love her work...but I thought it very apt for the way I have felt this week....looking to the future and dreaming...

So have a lovely week...enjoy everything you do...and believe in the beauty of your dreams....xxxxx