Classic meets Modern QAL

I'm taking part in a QAL as part of my drive to keep a balance between family, work and crafts!! ( in the vague attempt it helps the stress levels) 

This is the first months block - Bear Claw.

Pop over to Sew At home Mummy and see the other blocks. 

http://www.sewathomemummy.com/?m=1

Week 2

It was a week of birthdays and the main one in our house was my daughter turning 17. She is here with her boyfriend. I'm incredibly proud of my daughter, she is growing into an amazing woman. Lots of crochet with the Crochet mood blanket 2014 CAL, a visit to Farnham maltings Quilt show and the arrival of my new stash....Oh and there was work but we won't talk about that....

Resolutions and adapting to reality!

I had hoped to take a photo each day and post it - lovely idea but in reality I forget! 

So after discovering an IPhone  app called PicCollage - I've decided to put a photo montage of the week on ( or near ) each Sunday! Then I can look back and have a fab collection of memories. I might even put them in a digital album - another thing on my list to learn how to do this year. 

So here is this week montage....

New Years Eve and the start of 2014!!! 50 things for my 50th year!

A few of my friends and I are turning the big 50 this year - well in 2014!!! 

So we have set ourselves a challenge to set 50 things to do in our 50th year!! 

Being me my list involves quite a bit of crafting as well as travel, my children and friends. 

So here is my list - not necessarily in any order. I will update you as it goes......

1. Learn to knit
2. Go to Brussels - SU convention 2014!! 
3. Find 50 geocaches.
4. Crochet a blanket.
5. Make my first digital scrapbook. - Could do it of my 50th year!! 
6. Make a quilt.
7. Finish my Leanne embroidery. 
8. Spend a whole day in my PJs watching movies. 
9. Take an upholstery lesson and reupholster my chairs. 
10. Take some yoga classes. 
11. Visit Winchester cathedral - inside the whole tour and everything rather than rushing past. 
12. Move house or extend the one I have.
13. Have my own office/craft room - not in my bedroom!!
14. Paddle in the sea. 
15. Visit my sister in Melbourne.
16. Go to Prague or Paris
17. Watch my son finish his first year at Uni and my daughter get into the Uni she wants to. 
18. Eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. 
19. Keep a Smash book/journal of the year.
20. Keep a jar of happy thoughts to look back on at New Years eve 2014.
21. Keep a grateful journal - one thing a day. 
22. Read a book a month.
23. Take a photography day course. 
24. Go to the Quilt show again this year. 
25. Bake more often.
26. Have a birthday crafting day/weekend for my friends. 
27. Search for sea glass and drift wood on the beach. 
28. Play pooh sticks
29. Walk up Glastonbury Tor - maybe at New Wine. 
30. Spend a day with Ollie.
31. Spend a day with Andrew.
32. Spend a day with Charlie.
33. Make a mosaic. 
34. Make 50 origami birds/flowers and hang them in various places. 
35. Have a family photo with my children. 
36. Clear out what I dont need and sell it or bin it!!! 
37. Go to the theatre more. 
38.Make a daisy chain. 
39.Walk in the mud. 
40. A day at a Spa. 
41.Take a photo every day to capture the year. 
42.Always say something positive. 
43. Reconnect with old friends.
44.Smile at strangers.
45.Research my family history 
46. Meet someone honest, trusting and loving. 
47.Buy myself flowers once a month. 
48. Visit 10 new National Trust/English heritage/privately owned castles or properties and (inc Arundel castle). 
49. Figure out how to use Twitter, Flicker and Intsagram!! 
50. Be happy.

Scrabble!!!

I have been loving the Scrabble pictures on Pinterest.
So after digging around in the games cupboard I found a partial set of scrabble and raided the letters.
So far I've made two.
Here is the first one....What do you think?

Vignette

There is a wonderful new Quilting magazine out now and the first edition arrived before Christmas. I am excited about the BOM project and all its other delicious ideas. There is a now a blog so that all those that read the magazine can share projects and ideas and here is the link to it.....Vignette in Stitches Blog.

I do hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

Christmas Collage

I have had a bit of time between work today to play with Picasa for the first time.

So I thought I would pop together a little collage of our Christmas. I hope yours was filled with happiness and good memories.

What was under your Christmas tree......

We had a wonderful Christmas. This year we managed to figure out how to get a space for the train under the tree where it wouldnt get run over by the dog!!

Here are some pictures of what it looked like. Mr Hornby would be rolling in his grave if he knew that his in scale trains had Harry Potter and a Star Wars rebel leader riding shot gun in the back!

Sometimes they can be so frustrating but amusing at the same time!

Just had a conversation with my daughter - middle child - 13 years old.........
She has a hospital appointment tomorrow so she wanted to read the letter which has a quetionaire on it...the conversation went sort of like this........
Name - DD: why do they want your surname first? ME: Well thats just the way it is....
DD: Can I put your maiden name?
ME : No
DD: Why not?
ME: Because its not your name
DD: It could have been if you hadnt been married to Dad.
ME: But I was and had been for over ten years so it wasnt even a near thing.
DD: Hmmmm....marital status. I might put divorced or widowed
ME: Why
DD: Just want to see what happens
ME: Well I think they will figure out you arent telling the truth when they know you are 13!!
DD: I COULD be from some African tribe that married young and my husband MIGHT have died of Aids.
ME: Well yes but you arent are you......
Nationality: DD: I think I will put Chinese Irish.
ME: But you arent
DD: Yes well there isnt a box for American Indian (she is part AIndian from her Dads side)
ME: Yes but Chinese Irish isnt very close to American Indian and again they may figure that out when you go in.
DD: Hmmmm Religon? Why do they want to know that
ME: (With grimaced smile on my face) You might be close to death and they may think to give you the last rights if you were catholic.
DD: So I shouldnt really make that one up either then? I could just put Irish
ME: Well Irish isnt really a religon or not at least one religon and we are not going there tonight either.....
And so it went on.........I think the sun and secret stash (well not so secret because I know they are there) of Heroes chocolates has gone to her head....maybe we are seeing the wrong sort of consultant tomorrow?........

Poorly girl

Well I am not sure she will learn not to bark at the cat but here is the evidence of what happens when you go loopy when you see our own cat in our own garden and jump up at the window!
The only difference yesterday was the glass on the floor which she landed on!
So after a visit to the vet and some aneasthetic, stitches and painkillers she was allowed home again.
Last night she couldnt walk in a straight line but today she seems to have recovered her balance and appetite.
Hasnt made it up the stairs yet but there is always tomorrow.....

The last visit to the vet proved to be the most costly chocolate bar and this time it made it the most expensive Ikea glass!!

The sun is shining, the wind is gently blowing the curtains and the crochet granny stripe blanket is waiting....but first the ironing.......

Been spending the afternoon airing the trailer tent, packing away its new "toys" - solar lights, carpet tiles (oh yes CARPET!!) etc.....Why is it we like to buy presents for our trailer tents/caravans? I think its like playing house as a child again!

Better go and find that ironing....then some hooky time ....think BBQ is in order. Oh I do love the sun and summer such a pity we dont get it ever year.....

Random granny squares.....just a little look before I turn them into.............................watch this space...

2010 = Year of learning to crochet!!

Becoming totally addicted. I am really tired after a busy night and two back to back meetings but I thought I would share some flowers.