Nothing

I have no stitchy pictures to show at all today! I can't show them because they are gifts and the people they are for might read my blog. I could have shown my Bygone Stitches A Quaker Christmas framed as I picked it up last night but I had to take it back today! I was so disappointed in the framing this time which is very unusual as my framer usually does an amazing job but I felt that the mount was too close to the outer edge of the stitching, so much so that some of the stitches actually disappeared under the mount. So it's now back at the framers hopefully being put right.

So instead a few pictures of the snow we had last weekend. We couldn't believe the amount we had overnight on Saturday so Sunday morning we got wrapped up and went for a lovely long walk. I don't think we've had this much for a few years now and we were amazed to actually see snow on the beach!

Snow on the beach

St Nicholas Church from Hallgarth Park

St Nicholas Church from Newbegin

Snowballing in the park ( Jess, Abi and their cousin)

DH and I have Christmas shopping this week so I have been absent from reading and commenting on blogs and am way behind. I promise to try and get caught up at the beginning of the week. I desperately want to try and get some ornaments made up as well as finish up Juls and Christine's prizes from my blogoversary draw. I still have DH's auntie's present to stitch yet. Where did November go??!!!

Anyway the Christmas present shopping is just about done so I'm thankful for that!

Finger's crossed I will be back with some stitchy pictures Tuesday or Wednesday next week! Chris and I are starting our SAL of Merry Noel on Monday so I'm really looking forward to that! A lovely new start!!

I hope all my American friends had a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving:)

Hugs

The North Wind Doth Blow.......

And we shall have......

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes that's the lovely sight we woke up to this morning! To be honest I didn't expect we'd get any as on the weather forecast map it looked like it would miss us. It keeps snowing every so often and it is cold!!!!!!!!!!!!! The girls and I have been out this morning but now we're cosy inside. Abi got her new Tomb Raider Underworld this morning, no thanks to Amazon who failed to let me know they hadn't got stocks in of the Wii version and had it not been for me emailing them and them phoning me I wouldn't have known. So I cancelled that order, as they're not getting any in until at least 18th December, and ordered it from Gamestation yesterday afternoon and it arrived this morning and that was free delivery so Kudos to Gamestation and Royal Mail!! So she's playing it now!

Just a little bit of stitching to show. First up my Wednesday evening progress on HAED Tiny Treasures Letter J. It's moving along nicely; no doubt you're thoroughly bored seeing this.

This is my lovely little ornament finish. I saw Julie's lovely finish of this and decided I just had to stitch it so here it is. I'm going to have a finishing day once I get a few more things stitched up so will show it made up them

Mary Gary's Sewing Cabin Christmas Heart Pincushion

30 count R&R fabric (Scraps I had left from BBD Rites of Spring)

Carrie's Creations Old World Red & Frosty Pine

I won Natasha's contest on her blog for the Angel Stitchin' chart Gossip and it arrived this morning. I can't wait to stitch it up as it's such a fun chart but it won't be until I get my Christmas stitching done. Thank you so much Natasha! I also received some fabric from Lee. She was giving some away on her blog and I got a piece which will be brilliant for a Halloween or snowy project:) Thank you so much Lee!

Jess went to a fancy dress party last night ( another 18th) and she decided to go as the Cheshire cat!!!! Here are a couple of pics!

Thank you to those of you who left good wishes on my ear infection. Sometimes I think it's feeling better and other times it just doesn't feel any different. Needless to say when I went out in the cold this morning I wore a hat and made sure it covered my ears! I saw the ENT specialist on Thursday but I came out feeling really fed-up! He wasn't very pleasant, didn't really explain things and I just didn't feel at ease. I did tell him about my ear but because I didn't feel at ease I didn't tell him what it was like exactly and he says it's excema! Well I'm sorry but it damned well isn't! As for the pain and swelling at the other side of my face I have to go for an ultrasound to confirm it's what he thinks it is ( blockage in my saliva gland) and go from there. You will probably be sick of me saying I'm not well again.

Well I think I may just sit and stitch this afternoon! I think it's the weather for that here right now! I had my snow fix seen as I've been out in it and thrown some snowballs and had some thrown at me!! LOL!

I have been tagged by Sharon and Kay to reveal 6 random things about myself then pass the tag on. I have taken part in this a few times before so I might repeat myself as there's only so many things a boring stay at home Mum can say about herself!

I hate a lot of noise! I can't stand it if neighbours play loud music or bang about a lot. It drives me mad!

An obvious one but I LOVE cross stitch and collecting stash!

I'm scared of the dark and hate not having the quilt right up around me when I'm in bed. Not so good when I have hot sweats!!

I hate to miss Heroes. I'm totally addicted to watching it even if there's times I don't know what's going on!

I'm scared of snakes.

I love reading Danielle Steel book and have nearly all of them.

I'm not going to tag anyone but feel free to join in if you want!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hugs

It's Quaker Time!

Sunday was the start of the Quaker Christmas ornament SAL on Quaker Inspired although I did not start mine then. I waited until Monday and have finished it!! I couldn't make my mind up at first what to stitch so changed my mind several times before deciding on The Workbasket Quaker Christmas Tree from the JCS ornament magazine 2002 issue. It was a lovely quick stitch so now it just needs finishing off! Anyone got any finishing mojo they can spare??

The Workbasket Quaker Christmas Tree

36 count Lakeside Linens Maple Sugar

Carrie's Creations Frosty Pine

Started 17th November 2008

Finished 18th November 2008

I keep forgetting to share last week's progress on my HAED Tiny Treasures Letter J! Still plugging away at it and getting on quite well so am looking forward to tonight's session.

Final piccie for today is my progress on Blackbird Designs Blessings and Kind Wishes. This is such a beautiful piece to stitch. I have really taken a liking to these designs and can't wait to have the latest Loose Feathers design in my hands as it looks gorgeous.

Thank you to everyone who left comments for Abi on her birthday. She was so pleased when she read them all and found it hard to believe that she had comments from all over the world! She wasn't too happy when she got in from school yesterday as I had some bad news for her. She's been so looking forward to the new Tomb Raider game coming out and I pre-ordered it for her on Play back in July. The release date is supposed to be 21st November but when I checked Play yesterday it said it was 31st January 2009 for the Playstation 2 version! All others are coming out on Friday. I felt so bad for Abi. I checked Game and Gamestation and both their websites say January 2009 but Amazon say Friday so we're a bit unsure at the moment. I checked the Tomb Raider Chronicles forum and there was a huge thread on there about it and many people are really angry about it and I can't blame them. As it is we do have a Nintendo Wii so she can buy it for that but we're playing a waiting game for now to see if it arrives for PS2 or not.

The good news for today is Jess has an offer from her first choice university depending on the grades she gets in her A levels next year! She has to get a B for Chemistry so we're keeping our fingers crossed. If she gets Bs in all three subjects she could get a scholarship so she was really excited and pleased.

The bad news is I have been ill yet again:( I didn't blog about it on Sunday because that was Abi's day. I had been feeling off for a few days last weeks and by Friday I decided I couldn't keep on like it so off to the doctors I went- again! Now I've been saying for a long while that my ear did not feel "right". Turns out I have yet another infection. The doctor said he could not see my eardrum for puss so he thinks it's in my inner ear and the yuck is leaking through my eardrum. So I'm now on 2 weeks of antibiotics and drops in the hope that it'll clear it up properly. I have an appointment with the ENT specialist tomorrow about the pain and swelling I get on the left side of my face and DH thinks I should mention my ear ( it's my right ear) while I'm there as this is the third infection since August. I often feel as though there's something swelling in my ear and pressing on my eardrum. To top that I started my not so monthlies on Friday nearly 9 weeks then Saturday I did my back in! Thankfully I had a heat wrap in so put that on straight away which helped it a lot. I am falling to bits I think!

I am now going to spend a bit of time catching up on blogs. I hope you're all having a good week and UK ladies are you ready for the cold snap that's coming??

Hugs

Happy Birthday Abigail!

Today's the day my baby turned 14!! I truly don't now where the time has gone as it hardly seems five minutes since she was a little baby and look at her now!

We didn't have a very good start as I suffered from postnatal depression and did not bond to with her too well at first but I love her to bits now. She makes me laugh and smile and I just adore her.

You are the light of my life sweetheart. Your Dad and I love you very much and are very proud of you. I hope being 14 is all you hoped and wished for:)

Here she is with her beautiful Mum - haha -( me!) LOL! Hair and make-up by Miss Abigail:)
And it's a bit of a bugger when your beautician has to sit on your knee to do your make-up!! LOL! Abi had a movie night on Friday with three friends, as well as playing on the Wii ,which they all thoroughly enjoyed and today she has her closest friend round for the day.

I am way behind on blogs again but will try and catch up over the next few days!

Hugs

It's My Blogoversary!

Today's the big day! LOL! It's my second blogoversary! I can't believe I have kept this blog going for two years. In those two years I have "met" so many wonderful people and I would like to thank all of those who have kept on visiting my little corner of the world and left me wonderful comments. You are all an inspiration and wonderful, kind people.

So without further ado onto the winners of my blogoversary draw. Yes as it's my second blogoversary I decided to pick two winners.

Here's the soon to be birthday girl, Abi, with the magic tin! LOL!

Winner number one:

Juls!!!!!!!!

Winner number two:


Christine!!!!

Congratulations ladies!!! Please email me your names and addresses ( my email is in my profile) and I will get something stitched up for you and in the post in the next few weeks:) I have something in mind and hope you will both like them.

Thank you to all those who have left wonderful comments so far on my A Quaker Christmas finish! I plan on getting it framed soon and have the perfect space in my living room for it to be hung. It'll be displayed all year as I can't bare the thought of putting it away for most of the year!

Hugs

Happy Dancing for Christmas!

Come join me in my happy dance! Last night I put the final stitches into Bygone Stitches A Quaker Christmas!!! I have enjoyed stitching this so much and am really going to miss not stitching on this beautiful piece. To be honest I cannot believe how fast this has stitched up as most of the time I've only stitched on it one evening a week with the odd weekly stitching marathon on it.

Bygone Stitches A Quaker Christmas

Coffee dyed 25 count Lugana

Carrie's Threads in Old World Red, Antique Gold & Frosty Pine

Started 7th April 2008

Finished 11th November 2008

Now that this is finished I'm going to concentrate stitching on Christmas ornaments and gifts for the next couple of weeks until Chris and I start our SAL.

Sunday evening I finally picked up Blackbird Designs Blessings and Kind Wishes after not stitching on it for the two previous Sundays. I am itching to get this finished and start the next one. Also dying to see the latest Loose Feathers as it's a keepsake box and pinkeep!


I finished the ornament for Clare's tree at her church but I am not 100% happy with the finishing.

Finally my DH and I had a walk to the memorial gardens on Sunday afternoon. It has been in much need of a revamp and finally the work got done this summer. There's still lots of planting to do but one thing I was delighted to see was a new memorial stone. The old one only had those who lost their lives in the Second world war on it so the new one is a welcome sight as it now has all those lost in the first and second world wars; including my Grandad's cousin who died at the age of 25 from wounds received fighting in the first world war in May 1917. He served with the East Yorkshire Regiment 12th Battallion and is laid to rest at Aubigny Communal Cemetary in France. It is quite humbling to see all the names of those who lost their lifes from such a small community as ours.

I hope everyone is having a good week. It's certainly been a wet and windy one up here. Don't forget there's still time to enter my second blogerversary draw in my previous post! And please go look at Chiloe's giveaway on her blog. To enter you must place a link in your blog to the giveaway:)


Hugs

Some Ornaments:) & Upcoming Blogoversaray!

NOW CLOSED ** It's my blogoversary coming up in just a few days so I will be holding a drawing for something stitched by me. If you would like to be entered into the draw please say so on this post and I'll draw a name on Thursday.** NOW CLOSED

Well it's not long to December and I'm just starting some ornament stitching! I do have to make them up yet but I may see if I can get another one stitched this afternoon and set on making all three up tomorrow.

The first one I am sending to Clare. Clare is doing one of the decorated trees in her church this year and asked for help so I was happy to stitch one up. This is the design I chose and I hope you like it Clare. If I can get it made it tomorrow it'll be in the post to you Wednesday

Midsummer Night Designs Christmas Angel

36 count Lakeside Linens Maple Sugar

DMC

Last night I decided that I wanted to do another ornament so decided upon this one from this year's JCS ornament issue. This was a quick, fun stitch.

My Mark Designs Be Merry

28 count Quaker linen

DMC

Friday night I started my stocking. It's only a small start but at least it's a start! This one is Bent Creek Christmas Carols and to those of you who know me well it'll be no surprise that it's snowmen!! Lol!
Finally my progress on HAED TT Sampler Letter J. I'm quite well on with page 3 now so I'm itching to make even more progress and get this finished now!
Future stitching plans are a SAL with Chris. We were chatting on MSN on Friday and she was saying she NEEDED to start Twisted Oaks Designs Merry Noel so I said I'd like to. Anyway she asked if I'd like to do a SAL so I said YES straight away! We've decided on a 1st December start so that gives me time to finish Bygone Stitches A Quaker Christmas. I'm really looking forward to this as it'll be my first ever SAL with Chris and we'll have the added bonus of actually being able to see each other's stitching in person as we're meeting up again in December:) We've also decided to do a private Christmas ornament exchange and I already have what I am stitching for her picked out.

Thank you for all your good wishes regarding my headaches/ migraines. I am still not completely headache free but I am not going to let this get me down if I can help it although it's not easy at times. I haven't picked my prescription up as yet as I'm still in two minds. I have been doing some research on the Internet and found something else that is also used to try and prevent migraines/ headaches which I have used before for tension headaches so am thinking about leaving a message for my doctor to ask if I can go back on those and see if they help. At least I know what to expect with them. I seem to be very hormonal at the moment as I can cry at anything and feel so silly! What doesn't help, I think, and what is probably a lot of the cause is I am 8 weeks late with my not so monthly monthlies! This is the longest I've gone other than when I was pregnant!

That's all from me for today! Please take time out this Remberance Sunday to remember those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

Hugs

Christmas Eve

No I haven't gone off in a time machine to the near future; that is the title of my latest finish! I finished ( or thought I had) Bent Creek Christmas Eve and it will be DH's Christmas stocking. Unforutunately I did not read the instructions correctly until I'd finished and it's supposed to be stitched over two threads on 18 coutn fabric. I did know it should be 18 count but didn't have any so chose some 28 count in raw linen. Of course it is smaller than it should be so DH will have to have small pressies this year ( awwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!). Also when I was editing the piccie I noticed I have some missed some stitches so I'll have to rectify that before I make it up. Anyway here it is!

Bent Creek Christmas Eve

28 count raw linen

DMC

Started 2nd October 2008

Finished 3rd November 2008.

On Saturday I received my prize for winning Stephanie's blog drawing. I won the JCS Halloween issue which is a wonderful issue and next year I want to stitch the ornaments in it and buy a small black tree to display them on at Halloween. Stephanie also made me the cute Halloweeny floss tag you can see in the piccie. Thank you so much Stephanie!

I did not stitch on BBD Blessings and Kind Wishes again this Sunday this time due to flashing in my eyes. It had started earlier in the afternoon then when I thought it had gone it came on again. After tea I settled down to watch the F1 Grand Prix and it started again so I was not too happy. I sat there with an eye mask on listening to the race rather than watching the action but my eye mask came off when it got the final few laps!

I have, however, managed two good evenings stitching on Bygone Stitches A Quaker Christmas and I only have three more motifs and my initials to stitch and it will be done! For such a big piece I am amazed it has grown so quickly but I think it's because I am enjoying it so much.

I thought it was about time I showed the With My Needle Ackworth Friendship Book that Jane, Lisa, Chris, Tracy and I stitched as an RR earlier in the year. Just to prove I am in the process of making it up I took some piccies of it as it is now. With mine being stitched on 36 count the backstitches are quite tiny and I can't sew it up for long before my eyes are suffering!

I must apologise for my piccies today. I had starting using Photoshop a bit to edit my piccies to try and make them look better but I don't know what has happened today as I can't get the crop tool to work properly so I've had to edit them using the software that came with the scanner which isn't anywhere near as good as Photoshop. I must get somebody in the know to help me as I had the same problem the other day and DH sorted it but I can't remember how he did it! Lol!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I have not been feeling too well and my doctor thinks it's all to do with migraine and hormones. I have felt so ill at times over the past week or so that I felt quite scared but thankfully it seems to be subsiding now and I don't feel too bad. I shall just be happy when it's all over and done in; whenever that will be! Anyway I was just wondering if any of you who read my blog and suffer from migraines/ headaches have been prescribed beta blockers to try and prevent them and, if so, how you got on with them. My doctor has given me a presciption for them but I'm not sure I want to take them.

Hugs

Congratulations Lewis!!

F1 World Champion 2008