Hmmm....

What to do with all of these :D....

And then this arrived in the post this morning for my sister...I won't tell you how old she is as she appears to be in denial ;)

It is from here and I absolutely love it...thanks Jaq :D  Of course I couldn't help but get something for myself...orange blossom bodycream and I could be happy soap.  Have a look at Jaq's soapy blog...I know you will not be able to resist!!

We love to craft....

This holiday friends of mine have been sending their children over to use up my ever growing mountain of stuff that just has to be used and dealt with.  So far we have made bracelets, cards, clay and paper monsters, and candle holders.  One of the sessions was a birthday present to a friend's daughter's friend(!!).  Because it was a birthday occasion we got the cake stand out and had french fancies and cupcakes.  We also got out the posh tea set and had a very civilised tea party...lots of fun!  as you can imagine, the monster making session was a bit more rowdy and involved the trampoline at one point (don't ask!).  On thursday we will be scrapbooking :D

  

Making cards!

They all chose blue!!  I thought we would have some girlies pink (I am a household of boys, apart from me)....just goes to show what I know!!

Oh...Not all boys, I lied...here's Jess

To say she is a moody mare would be an understatement of the biggest proportions...can't you just see the look on her face...'Come near me and I will growl!!!'  But we love her anyway and so does Barley, her beau!

I am a sucker for 'miniatures',,,

and so I couldn't resist these when I saw them in TKMaxx on Friday.... (the tins that is, not the bread...I made that myself :D ) 'Scuse the burnt bit...they stuck to the top of the grill in the oven.

Even Indie managed to get in on the act! Although he doesn't look very pleased about it :) He's just there to show you how small the loaf is but Mr C said he might just be a huge lego mini figure. The loaf was a bout 3" high and the boys loved the novelty of eating a 'whole loaf'...mind you, given half the chance, Mr Chops would eat a whole normal sized loaf anyway.

And I am not alone in my industriousness.....Mr Chops and Mr C (Mr B may well have helped too) spent Friday afternoon making this.......

End of term.....

And here is a rainbow to cheer us all up. Mr B's teacher is leaving and she will be greatly missed. As an appreciator of all things felty...this is for you, Whitey :D

I am a disgrace....

but I do have some very lovely photos to upload which I shall do today or tomorrow...and I have made a decision...I am opening an ETSY shop so I have to get myself in gear about all this.

Here's a pic of something I made for now.......

Just some brooches I am working on. Photos courtesy of the lovely Lottie next door :D

Hair clips...

If I don't upload a photo now it will get lost and I will forget what they look like.....

They are a present for one of Mr B's friends...his oldest friend :D

Hooray, hooray, it's a holi-holiday!!

well, half term anyway but that is good enough for me. And the week is packed and bursting at the seams. The Kazebo's this morning and a lovely time was had by all (are you reading this? ;) ). Managed to look at lots of yummy website and, oops, bought this.....

Fa la la la felt

Looking 'for lorne'...

in the doldrums...have you seen her????

Whhooo hoo... a page...

Okay, it is never going to set the design world of scrapping on fire but I don't much care...Mr Chops loves it and that is all that is important. I shall try to scan so I have a record.

I've also made a couple of cards so maybe this is the start of being on the up. Sewing wise I have finished more felt fruit (just what I needed!). On the knitting front Mr C now has one sock and Mrs C Jnr nearly had the start of a hat but it was far too small.

Note to self (as this all is!) make a dentist appointment for Mr B.

Where did the week go....

Well, I have been poorly this week. No teaching on Monday - I spelt all day and then took the rest of the week to recover. Mr Chops had a school trip to the river (what joy shall fill my heart....) on Thursday and was disgusted that I couldn't go but, really, walking to the river with 60 Year 4s was not top of my agenda!

And yesterday I summoned up the strength to switch round some furniture. The lounge is now not a walk through and the office has lost a door. Really, it was too much - three doors in such a small room and it is so much nicer now. The lounge feels cosier and the office is more practical...and I like it. Plus, it all got a seriously good hoover.

So not much making happened yesterday but I did manage to find tutorials for 2 new cards..here and here. This is a great blog. I also hopped around looking for pro marker tutorials because I wanted to find out which ones people recommend going together but not much luck...have to keep looking.

Must find some more piccies to put on here. I am planning to back a quilt tomorrow so am hoping to record my progress and notes for future reference :D

Friday.....is my day

Right, Mr B ill in bed with a tummy upset, 26 mins done on the Wii, off to have coffee and pray then going to make this scrummy cake!!! Last weeks carrot cake went down well. I was a bit confused with it though as it had bananas in as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE banana bread, and I love carrot cake but this was more of a carana cake...but still seriously yummy :D

And here is a picture...

Well, there is a picture, up there...where ever it feels like going!!!

Earthquake appeal.......

Lots of very talented and generous people are donating handmade and crafty things on Etsy with the money going to the earthquake appeal. I know no one reads this blog but someone may stumble upon it by accident and then see this link for Craft Hope and make a donation while getting something lovely in return...you never know :D

You can also donate at Christian Aid. I am sure that everything helps in such a desperate situation.

Marmalade.....

to make from scratch or not to make from scratch???

I have always bought the tin of pre pulped oranges before now, but my Veg Box people were doing a marmalade kits and I love making it so I thought I'd give it a try. I have spent an hour juicing, pithing and slicing oranges...if it tastes better it WILL be worth it...but if it doesn't I will be back to me tins :D

And I still have this Carrot Cake to make from Debbie and also the soup. Think I might get both done today as I was going to sew but my machine is skipping stitches left, right and centre and I cannot fix it. Done everything in the trouble shooting section so phoned the shop and they are getting back to me about collecting and servicing it :D

The boys made a video (stills shots really) with my camera over the weekend and it hasn't worked since. It is probably just the batteries but I cannot be bothered to check it at the moment so no photos of simmering servilles!

Chasing my tail.....

is what I seem to be doing recently. the weather has been terrible. So much snow that even the boys are fed up of it. And now it has actually gone it has not stopped raining all day :( But at least the drip has stopped in the kitchen and our heating has not proken or our pipes frozen....it could be worse.

So I made a hat for Mrs C junior for her birthday and promptly forgot to photography it :9 V annoyed as the whole point of this blog for me, apart from rambling on, is that I record the things I have made. But I have half finished a pair of socks for me and and approaching the heel on Mr C's and tomorrow I am hoping to make mushroom soup and carrot cake:D

Oh no...LEAK!!!

Getting some cereal out of the cupboard yesterday I notice that the box was wet...not a good sign. then I saw that there was a drip down the back of the cupboard.....and above the cupboard and, indeed, dripping down from there the ceiling meets the wall. Hoorah...something else broken :(. So, brief panic ensued, phone and could not get hold of Mr C, who couldn't have done anything anyway. Phoned MIL who told me not to panic even though she would agree she would have done, and then phoned Mr Amazing Fix It Man who comes and fixes everything. Thank the Lord he was able to come straight away. In the mean time I checked it was not dripping down from the bathroom celling as well and then ventured out onto the flat roof, as you do, because my immediate thought was that this would be where it was coming from and the entire roof would need replacing and we would have to sell kidneys to pay for it and then the whole roof would come down (I know Mr Chops is a drama queen but I cannot think where he gets it from ;) ). Oh, and up in the loft too to see if it was the house roof and nothing to do with the extension. Anyway, Mr Fix It arrives, turns off the bath tap, that had been left on a fraction, we are talking the tiniest amount possible and, Bob's your uncle, or in my case Pete, 'twas fixed! The people who had put the bath in had not sealed the taps so the drip was going down the base of the tap, down the pipes and through the celling. So today, armed with my trusty silicone glue (I told Mr C that my craft stuff would be useful for all eventualities) I am going to seal the tape and , ta-da, all will be lovely again. Amongst other things because I now have the kitchen to put back together (throwing and freecycling lots of things as I go), the boys audible CD's to burn onto disc and many other things to do.

And then sometime we are forecast SNOW!!!!!! We had loads on the last day of term but nothing since. Of course it is forecast for 3pm, when it usually rains anyway, so maybe we will be lucky...wait and see.

Oh lookie...a new challenge...

Scrapdolly is having a challenge class type thing this year an, as I haven't scrapped properly for well over a year, I thought I would take part. Linkie in the sidebar. I am determined to be more organised ( ha, ha!!) this year so feel I really should try and do this.

Also, I have been reading this book and it is completely fascinating (to me anyway) to read about everyday life in Britain in a different era. I love social history anyway but thought I should keep up this blog as a kind of diary. As I am not expecting it to be read apart from me then I can be as boring as I like and it won't matter. The only thing that bothers me is how long with all this blog malarky last? If I write it here will I still be able to read it in, say, 30 years? I kind of doubt it and so maybe pen paper would be better. But then I spend a lot of time in cyberworld so I would be more likely to keep it up. Who knows...we shall see.

So today...1st January 2010...the start of yet another new era. 10 years ago Mr C and I were in Southwold (or probably on out way back by now), footloose and fancy free. I cannot believe how much our lives have changed since children. And then I realised that most of the people I spend an awful lot of time with now are people I did not even know 10 years ago!

Anyway...I have to make pizza for Mr Chops and Mr B so had better go.......

and here is a picture..just because I can!...

A card made for one of Mr B's friend's birthdays. I think the paper was from Nitwits.

What a pain!!

I lost my header for this blog and then I tried to add it back in but some of it was missing so I have changed it entirely. This is a quilt that I have made but haven't managed to back yet. Designed by Buttonberry and I love it...maybe this will shame me into finishing it!

It wouldn't be Christmas without.......

Turkey Soup...I LOVE IT!!!!

And now it has all been eaten and I have had to make more :D

Knitting socks at the mo so will put some piccies up as soon as. That was I will remember which ones I did when.

I'd like to be...a busy busy bee.......

...and I have been. A week ago today I was making apple and mint chutney, and a few other things and Mr C has kindly photographed them and here they are....

whiskey marmalade, brandy marmalade,
hazelnut and cherry fudge, marzipan and chocolate covered hazelnuts and run truffles (which aren't in the picture.

Then I made some Christmas tree decorations (only one here)

and some napkins for Mr and Mrs C Junior....

These were too gorgeous and I didn't want to give them away but Mr C informs me that this is the best way with presents - only give something that you would like to have yourself! Not sure that that applies to buying presents for 6 year old boys...which will be the next thing on the list when it is Mr BB's birthday in a few weeks.

And this coming year (2010 already!!!!) I have challenged myself to knit a pair of socks every month. Am already starting some for Mr C but also have a pair to finish for myself. Plus I have 3, oh the shame, quilt tops to quilt and edge and then I cannot tell you how many BOM's to finish (errr...start!!!) With the cat being on special medication and prescription food this coming year will be the year to USE rather than ACQUIRE and STROKE. Watch this space...............

Oooohhhh...

Snowflakes...maybe we will get some real ones soon.

Christmas is fast approaching and I do not think I am ready. Things to make...lots of things...and not much spare time but I shall persevere.

Off to IKEA tomorrow for some annual Christmas retail therapy that will probably just involve buying tea-lights and meatballs but I shall enjoy looking at all the little perfectly formed rooms.

And then on Thursday and Friday I had better settle down to some serious sorting out before Christmas and try and get all the washing done. Which reminds me, I have to get Mr C's shirts ironed or he will look a disgrace.

Now....today check out Paper and String LOTS of seriously lovely stuff :D