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

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