Stumped

I had a lovely day on Saturday, when I went to a stump work workshop at a local village.  It was so pleasant to be sitting and sewing with friends.  It was just a short, one day workshop where we learned how to do the above 'Funky Flower.'  I loved learning this, but have decided I hate the colours!

I shall just leave it as it is and put it on a shelf in my workroom.  The sewing isn't as neat as I would normally do, and the thread we were given was, well, cheap and nasty. Most of us spent half our time re-threading broken thread, as well as it just falling apart.  It was such a shame as there is so much work involved in this - each petal is outlined in buttonhole stitch, over wire, before pushing the wire through the fabric.  Then, the back of the wires are sewn over to catch them, and the front, centre of the flower is covered in french knots.  Oh, and the buttonhole stitch is sewn using only one thread of the skein!  Luckily, the french knots use all six threads. 

We could choose to either use the plain pink fabric for the flower itself, or, as I've done, reverse it and use the own (the tutor's) dyed fabric.  I think I chose the best version.  But, you can tell from my tone and moaning that I'm not overly impressed.  However, I am pleased with this new technique and most pleased with the company I kept!

~~~~~~  -o0o- ~~~~

In other news our little nanny's lolly-dolly-pop has been right poorly with the tummy bug which has been doing the rounds, it seems.  Poor wee thing! She's been sitting about, all pale and interesting - very different from the jumping-bean we are used to. 

Bless her.  Sadly, her last childminder recently died from a relapse of her cancer. There has obviously been no way any of us can explain her demise to our three-year-old.  The other day, however, we were travelling along in the car past some fields.  N's l-d-p says,

"Sheila and I went to a field on an adventure.  We saw a frog, and the grass was wet."

She told me she does like her new childminder, but she likes Sheila better.

Bittersweet.

~~~~ -o0o- ~~~~

I Will Survive!

Woo, hoo!  I have been quite worried over the last year or so as my blood pressure and cholesterol have been 'raised'. 

I went for my 'MOT' tests in December, and got the results this week.  My cholesterol and Blood Sugar are 'acceptable' and my Blood Pressure is Normal.

So, I stopped taking the blood pressure tabs - only a small dose, anyway, but felt I needed to just check this out with the doc.

I spoke to her this morning, on a telephone consultation, and though I need to have the BP checked another two times before a conclusive diagnosis can be made - I can stay off them!

And, furthermore, by losing weight, being a non-smoker and a t-totaller, I have reduced my chances of a heart attack within the next few years, down from 1 > 5 to 1 > 20! 

How bloody wonderful is that, eh?!

So, I lost 2 lbs last week at the old weight watchers new Pro Points plan, and it seems to be working.  I shall find out tonight if anymore has gone.  But, judging by the way I have been pee-ing for Scotland this week, it looks likely.

Also, I have signed up at the local Live Active pool and gym, went to Aqua-fit last night; and am due to attend for Zumba on Monday - so here goes for 2011!

I buy my own Christmas Presents & Change Rooms

     'Give me your Christmas List, or I won't know what to get you!

Is the cry I hear all through December. So, here it is


a new dressing gown
a metal ruler for my embroidery course (for drawing lines and cutting outs)
Downton Abbey dvd
a sparkly bracelet
Best of Parky dvd


Not much to ask, actually, is it?  No.  So, what did I receive from my lovely family and friends out of this list?  The Parky dvd (from my sister) and a beautiful sparkly bracelet from the everloving Mr T.


Luckily, I did receive some Christmas money, so Amazon orders have been placed for the ruler (£1.47) and Downton dvd (£15.95) and M & S will perhaps have a sale on, so I can shop there.

~ -o0o- ~

And, the Changing Rooms team is here!  Don't get so excited it is me and Mr T, as well as SIL to help with any (loads) of the heavy lifting.  We have wardrobes, chests of drawers and a whole sewing room to move around upstairs.  Woo, hoo! 


Our rather large bedroom is above the woodshed, the mud floor woodshed, in a very cold and snowy Scotland.  The cold was such that we would put a pillow at the top of our heads, to keep some warmth in And, it is a  l-o--n---g way from the bathroom (actually about thirty feet).  And, my sewing room is next door to our bedroom, and has to be passed when attending to the bathroom, etc, which means that it is espied by Mr T each time he vacates said bedroom.  Now, you have seen the mess in there, ladies, and you know what these men are like - very visual beings.  I got fed up with the amount of earache I was getting for that.  Also, our third room, our spare room is right next door to the bathroom.


So, yesterday, we moved our bed (heavy wooden frame, and tempur mattress) and stuff into the spare room - bliss.  It is lovely and warm, much lighter and brighter, and right. next. to the bathroom. Result.  Our old (large) bedroom will now be my sewing room :o) and the other room, the spare room.  Which means there is more room in the sewing room for z-beds etc, and we all win, all round.


A good and organised start to 2011, methinks.  Perhaps I shall get more work done, and as I've more or less gotten everything sorted out, be able to find stuff, and remember that I own it before buying anymore stuff.  Great Result.

Good effort

This is my resolution ............................ to finish all the

                                                             

things I have started.













The first picture is of a pair of socks from cookie a's 'Sock Innovation' called kai-mei.  I started these in October, when we went on holiday - actually knitting on the 'planes, there and back.  However, I finished the first sock, but have now started the second.  The yarn is 'Valbella' a lovely bargain I picked up at Lidl's a while ago at £2.99 for 200g.  Erm, I've got another 600g's of it in the cupboard.

The second piccie is of a wee jumper I have been knitting all over the Christmas period, for our little grandson, in an Adrafil (I think). Four balls of it was in my stash, I don't know what for, though it was earmarked for little 'un since he was born.  I was hoping to have sent it home with with him, but was busy with the whole family staying here for Christmassy stuff.  But, a couple of things were left behind, so it can go off with them.

When sorting out my sewing room so as to fit in beds for said family to sleep in, I had to clear all my stuff away.  What a job!  The place looked like something had exploded in there, but clear it away I did.  And, while doing so seemed to find a large amount of unfinished knitting projects - including a baby's blanket from about ten years ago, and  a jumper from about 1996! 

Plus, and I'm sure most knitters/sewers have this, several bags with kit in it.  I mean the pattern and the yarn, or fabric.  I say several, but there is more like about ten or so, plus random balls of wool to do hats with, a clothkits skirt (ooh yummy! but I'm not doing this until I've lost at least one stone = my treat to me, esp as it cost £59 to buy!) a Jamieson & Smith fair isle teacosy, which I am really looking forward to, wool and pattern for cardis, obv, for nanny's lolly-dolly-pop, kit for a fair isle neckwarmer, last year's knit sock club yarns - only one has been started and that is next on my list, plus the year before's sock yarn from the Get Knitted sock club (streuth!) and others that I've temporarily forgotten.  See?  This is what happens, isn't it?  You buy stuff, forget you've got it, then see something else you fancy and start that.

It would be just so silly for these things to be taking up so much room.  And, that is without the yards and yards of fabric just lolling about the place.  I have, so far, been able to squeeze most of this into two cupboards, two suitcases and a blanket box, I think, unless there's more.

So, deep breath here, I aim to not be buying anymore yarn (deffo sock stuff, anyways!) or fabric, unless it screams at me to be taken home, because I simply can't leave without it.  I am intending to list it all on Ravelry.

As well as all the craft books.  Ahem.

Post post

I don't know how it's happened but, Christmas is over!  Done.  Gone for 2010.  All that's left now is the overfull fridge, some snow with lots of ice covering the ground, and the memories.

We did have a lovely time - full of noise, wrapping paper, a bit more noise, family, food, fun, photos, yet more food, visits and leaving.

As my lovely son and his family left on Tuesday morning, only he ventured into my darkened bedroom to kiss me farewell due to the rampant germs swirling about the place.  I had contracted gastric-enteritis on Monday, ugh!  As I had done/eaten/been nothing or nowhere different to my husband, except visiting a cafe loo, it must have been something I picked up by hand, at that place.  My constitution is rubbish (I would have said 'shit' but that is a pun just too far) and I catch this kind of thing so easily.

Lately, I have found that I can no longer take coffee, butter, more than one or two pieces of chocolate or anything too fatty, at all.  I put it down to either the 'old age and poverty' my ma-in-law has always quoted, or possibly the amount of medication I still have to throw down my neck several times each day.  Lord, just never let it be tea, or I will slit my throat.

Anyways, back to those lovely children of mine (who, by the way, I still blame for the baby fat I carry around.)  They give me such pleasure at the way they are.  I was going to elaborate.  To tell of the way they parent their beautiful children; the way they make the effort to travel to see us; the way they care about how we are, make sure we're not over-doing it.  But, you'll realise I don't even need to put it into words.

Don't get me wrong - they are not perfect, by any means, they are human, as we all are.  And, this has never been a space where I just write the sugar-coated stuff, that is the stuff of those 'round-robin' Christmas letters!

But, we've just spent some time together, all cloistered in our too-small home, some on z or camp beds; some who will only eat 'nanny's soup' believing it is just made of tomatoes, when in fact it has bacon, lentils and good-for-you vegetables, whizzed up and hidden in it (this said person does eat meat, including pork); all the 'adults' go outside for a fag (cigarette) in the snowy, foggy weather, despite my admonitions about the filthy habit, that will surely kill them off yet none of us drink alcohol, and all eat too much chocolate (except me now, bah). 

I am enjoying this break between Christmas and New Year, if only to catch up.  As ever, I have knitting and sewing to do, and ideas to get down on paper for my course, a dreaded tax return, some reports to complete, as well as professional registration and checks I have to do every three years.  So, I shall be stuck to my desk for a few of those days, at least!

Ah, there is also the necessity for a hairdressers appointment for a three year old who, left in dad's care today, found the baby nail scissors and cut off some of her hair!

xx HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU xx



Preps

Nearly there!  Only a couple of hours 'til the day arrives.

We've had the visit to Santa ...

... and, our son and his family arrived safely from England-shire, together with our baby grandson ...

... who loves to play with nanny's magazines!

Yesterday, our two eldest grand-daughters decorated our Christmas cake, and  all six of us girls went to the panto at the Festival Theatre at Pitlochry, to see Cinderella.  It was the first time they had put on a panto, and what a great job they did of it!  From the youngest (aged 3) to the coolest two (aged 13) their mums, and me, their nan, we all thoroughly enjoyed it, and if they do it again next year, they've already sold six tickets.

Yes, I already have my Christmas here, with my lovely family around me.  I don't need anything else - what bliss!

Here's wishing you all you wish yourself, this Christmas

with loads of love from the tea house

The Cake

Made by Maura (and brought up to Scotland from Cambridgeshire!)

Decorated by Ash and Coo

xx

marmalade attack

Mr T has nagged me for ages to clear some of the [bloody!] oranges out of the freezer. 

As I ran out of Seville oranges last year, I bought a whole box of them in January this year - 19 kg of the lovelies.  But, obviously, I didn't get to use them all.  All right, I did a couple of batches throughout the year.

It's Christmas this week (in case you hadn't guessed, that is) and we have our family arriving for said holiday this Thursday. I therefore decided to bugger all the other stuff I still have to do, and make some marmalade. 

Talk about a marmalade attack!

But, look at the result! and, yes, that is a bottle of 12 year old, single malt, Highland Park in the background, that just happened to be in the cupboard. Well, Mr T did say to just open whatever was there!

I was going to get on and give the mess a scrub, but as Mr T was bored, he scooted me off to visit a friend.

Sometimes the snow has it advantages, especially when Mr T can't get out to do anything in the garden!