I want to say a naughty word ...

The laptop has decided to throw a wobbly and it is off to the 'hospital' for the next 14 days or so, you would think i had enough going on right now without my relaxation time also being harrassed. I'll have to use the 'slow old guy' and it takes ages to load anything, so you might not see me around much till i get my lifeline back LOL

Monthly challenge revealed ...


I chose to stitch the freebie from Romy in Austria. Stitching 1x1 on a 28ct scrap of pink that had no label using Vicki Clayton silks in Cotton Candy and Rust. I decided on a simple frame finish which i edged with pinkish lace and am pleased how it turned out.

Halloween Exchange arrived ...

A lovely packed parcel arrived in the post today from Sherry, that yankee candle smells gorgeous and i can feel a chocolate overload coming on whilst i sulk about the laptop being away! Thanks Sherry it was a lovely parcel to open and certainly lifted my mood today.


and finally ... Warm Winter Wishes is finished and made into a pocketed pinkeep. This is going to be a Christmas pressie for a friend. She is not a stitcher so in the pocket at the back i have put 3 different hot chocolate drinks as she has a passion for these.

The chart is now available so if you would like to be entered into the draw, please let me know in your comment.

Take care and fingers crossed the PC Dr can fix Mr Laptop quickly and i will be back to 'normal' soon

Is it really a week since i blogged?

Sorry readers, this week seems to have passed me by in a wave of nothingness!

The big news here is that my DD is fleeing the nest (she jumped, i didn't push) with her boyfriend, they have decided its time to play house together. They collect the keys for their new place next Saturday. Such perfect timing as we had confirmation that DH will be in the hospital 7th November for his op, that means i can play nursey and take good care of him all on my own, i'll be heaps lighter running up and down the stairs to pamper to his every whim, maybe the wobbly bits won't wobble so much!

On one of the MB's i visit, Clare told us that she was decorating a tree in her church for the Christmas season. She has decided all the ornaments will be stitched and asked if anyone would like to send one to add to it. I chose and stitched this one and have posted it off this morning. It's the first time i've stitched a Shepherds Bush design, this one came from the Just Cross Stitch ornament edition 2004. I didn't have the specialist threads it asks for so substituted DMC. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, i think i'll be doing the others in this series too.

Karen posts pics of some fabulous sunrises and sunsets on her blog, being at the seaside the views are amazing, i've often asked her to send me a nice pink sky too ... Woohoooo Karen, this morning on your way home from work your telepathic skills outdid themselves, look what i woke up to .... it was like the Northern Lights we were in a 'pink out'. One pic is outside my front door and the other from the back garden and yes i was in my pj's in the street at 7am. Can i book another for next Saturday morning, it was a lovely way to spend an hour sitting, watching and drinking tea LOL

When the postie came, my day got even better, through the letterbox dropped the JCS ornament issue, another cup of tea and an hour browsing through that. Hope you all had an enjoyable Saturday too.

It's Saturday...

and there's a distinct chilly nip in the air outside today. Mr Snowman has the right idea, warming himself next to the fire i built him this morning. I just need to stitch him his friend now.

I've had a productive week, the exchange ornament for Julianne is now all finished and in plenty of time for posting out first week in November. I've been knitting as well (can't show you that as its a surprise!) and i started the monthly challenge piece for JA. This month we've been given the choice of breast cancer freebies as October is breast awareness month but no reveal of that till end of the month as usual.

I've been reading this book that Karen sent to me. It came with a warning not to read it in the dark on my own .... apparently it gets really scarey ... so far i'm loving it and not a hint of gooosebumps!

Tonight it's Strictly Come Dancing again, and this week will be exciting as all 12 celebs dance. No stitching though, how can i concentrate with those hunky male celebs wiggling about. Knitting will be coming out i think, i can just about keep one eye on the TV and the other on the knitting pins LOL

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by, i do waffle on sometimes .....

Halloween Exchange

At last!!! the halloween exchange has arrived, how come my last envelope took only 5 days to get over the pond and yet this one took over 2 weeks, i was getting a bit worried that it had parachuted out the aeroplane and escaped.

Joann made these lovely tuck bags for us, we had no idea what design would be on the fabric, it was a nice surprise when they arrived and you had to choose an appropriate chart to fit the hole and match with the fabric. This design is from the latest halloween edition of Just Cross Stitch and is Batty Jack by Just Nan. I forgot to take a pic of the goodies that are it there, sorry.

Thursday again and i spent a nice relaxing hour at my yoga class. We had a lovely session today and i drove home to the music playing and me singing away in the car, its been a little while since i've been in that good a mood. Pulling on the driveway there was someone at the front door, it was an old friend who needed my order for the Christmas meal that we go to at the local catering college end of November. It's lovely to get silver service at the table by the students and it always brings back lovely memories of when i was there ... all those years ago .... getting my City and Guilds Qualifications to be a hotel receptionist/housekeeper. Guess what i ordered, why it was the traditional Christmas dinner and pud of course LOL

Recycling at it's best!

Charity shops have the loveliest things in them sometimes.

My friend said she saw this lovely tin tea tray and immediately thought of me, so she bought it for me. I'm so pleased she picked it, apparently it was only a very small amount of money, but now it can be well loved and used at my home. The only thing is, i've found myself wondering what kind of friend it belonged to and how sad that it was in there looking for a new home, i wonder why?

DH had his operation on the tooth yesterday, he says the pain is a different kind now, so we're hoping when the bruising goes away so will all the pain too. He's off work again today recovering and not dozing, he calls it 'inspecting the inside of his eyelids' in the chair. I think i might just go and make a cup of tea and see if i can tempt him with a biscuit or slice of cake, all served up on this lovely tray of course, would anyone care to join us .....

The new start ...

Good progress at the stitchy club and a bit more since, the words and snowflakes are complete on Warm Winter Wishes by Waxing Moon. Here's where i got to and the finished design for those who haven't seen it before. Paula kindly sent me the chart after she stitched it and i intend to hold a competiton to pass it on to someone else when i complete it.

It does make me smile, DH's dad used to stand in front of their fire and warm himself like this! Fabric i chose is a hand dyed with no label from a grab bag i bought at Polstitches Designs. Threads - it does ask for Gentle Art but i have very few of these so decided to opt for the DMC alternative it lists. You can also add snowflake buttons instead of stitching some if you wish, but i decided i liked them all stitched.

I've also made a start on a Christmas ornament for a private exchange with another blogger, post out date is early November so i'll be able to show you that soon. BUT ... i've still not received word that my halloween exchange has arrived, i hope so as it was posted a while ago so no reveal of that just yet, sorry.
The sun is shining here although there is a nip in the air and the weatherman said it was here to stay for the whole weekend, how lovely. I hope you all have a lovely weekend whatever your plans.

Tiny Tucks

I love a quick stitch and finish project, you get such satisfaction from stitching something and finishing it in one session, is that mad or are you the same??

These cute little tucks were a competition win from Joann last year. I'm sure some of you have seen Joann's superb skills with the sewing machine before, she makes a lot of the mini exchange items for us at TS. The designs are from the 1998 issue of World of Cross Stitch. Can you imagine all the space i would need if was still collecting every issue of the magazine 10 years on!

Back to the dentist we went on Monday, seems DH has the hugest of abcess under the cheekbone so is on even stronger meds, no work again this week then. Talk about bad timing, the hospital rang to schedule his urgent 'other operation' for this Friday. We've had to decline the appointment and its been rescheduled for Friday 7th November. He'll then have a few more weeks off work. Being self employed its not good, but i'm sure we'll get by. Christmas will have to be an old fashioned one this year with lots of handmade goodies for the family and even further cutbacks for us here.

Tonight it's the stichy club and i have kitted up a nice new project to take with me, something i have been meaning to stitch for a while. I'll save that for another time though when i can show you a WIP piccie.

Happy Stitching

Christmas stitching

My brother has a cute little Cavalier King Charles spaniel dog called 'Taz' and i usually send him a small treat in their Christmas stocking.

Forward planning and trying to be organised this year, i decided to make a little felt bag using the 'Woof Spoken Here' free chart from Stitchy Kitty which i stitched on 28ct mushroom evenweave. I'm hoping it will disguise the smell of the treat till the big day, and he doesn't rip the packaging till he gets the OK from his master LOL

No sign of this years JCS Ornament Issue yet, so i've spent a nice few hours browsing the older ones i have. Its been lovely, you do forget lots of the designs in there.
This little one is from the 2000 issue and is by Gentle Arts. I love the nordic blue jobelan its stitched on. A quick stitch/finish that i did whilst DH spent a very wet Sunday at home catching up with computer stuff on my laptop. Thank you for your good wishes for him, he's still in pain so i guess we'll be off to the dentist again this week or the hospital for the operation the dentist thought he might need to sort it out.

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me comments, i do appreciate all the help, advice and encouragement you give.

Ear plugs required

Bang, crash, wallop, drill and vibration of the foundations.... thats what its been like here for the past few days, the gas board are replacing pipework in the whole street, these pics are the view left and right from my bedroom window now they are tidying up for the night. There were 11 vans parked outside at dinner time today, and a whole host of guys in waterproofs (why couldnt they have done my street in the summer when they were wearing not a lot!!!) It sure does make you stressed out if you are like me and love your peace and quiet. We've had no gas at all from 8am today and hopefully it will be back on again by 8pm this evening if all goes to plan although the holes will not be filled in again till the end of the week after all the checks for leaks are done.

Poor DH, he's had to return to the dentist as he was in so much pain, it seems the tooth that shattered might have been infected in the gum before it was extracted so he's now on strong medication and not at work - anyone want a grumpy, don't know what to do with themselves, never suffered pain like it in my life (have a baby then tell me about pain!) visitor and of course all the noise outside is not helping his mood either.

Happy October, pinch/punch first day of the month