I Feel Like.....

The luckiest girl alive! Not only did I get that good news at the breast clinic on Tuesday plus my DH and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary with a night away in a lovely place but to end the week I was doing a little catch up on blogs before I went off to stitch last night and found that I had won Angela's wonderful  3rd Blog anniversary giveaway :) I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when I saw my name! For my prize I have chosen one of Angela's gorgeous box finishes which I have admired since I first found her lovely blog. Angela thank you for your emails last night and I hope you received my replies OK :) What a lovely end to a wonderful week:)

Last night I finished Blackbird Designs AotH Pink Hill Manor:) I wasn't expecting to get it all finished last night but I did. No photo as yet but I'll take one and post in a day or two. So once done I decided to get The Primitive Needle By the Light of the Moon, which I started for the Spooky SAL in honour of Lisa, back out again. Thankfully the SAL kept running for this month. It is with thanks to the lovely Lois that I've picked this up again as she kindly sent me a clearer copy of this freebie:) So I'm going to continue with it tonight and, if needs be, tomorrow night as well. If I've finished it I think I'll pick up Silver Creek Samplers Dandy Dreams and try and finish that. I've got three pieces all together that need picking up again to finish ( Jenny Bean Pin Tuffet being the other one) and I want to get all three finished before Chris and I start our Drawn Thread The Sanctuary SAL. I feel bad letting Chris down as we were starting it early May but if I don't finish those pieces they'll be languishing in the draw for ages!

I sent a photo of my BBD Stitched with Love finish to Belinda and received a lovely email back from her. She always comes across as being such a wonderful, friendly person:) My photo is now in her gallery:)

I caught up a little with the Royal Wedding on the news last night as I only watched a little bit of the ceremony during the day. Catherine looked stunning in that dress and William so handsome. I think they make a perfect couple who look very much in love and so at ease with each other. I love the new titles the Queen has bestowed on them:)

That's it from me for now but I'll leave you with a few more photos from our wedding day 25 years ago. If you're friends with me on Facebook you'll already have seen them.

Me & my Dad. When I look at this photo I get emotional as he is so frail now.

Me and Dh signing the register

My FIL, late MIL and my Dad

My sister and I

My DH and I in the wedding car

The cake

Take care everyone and for those in the UK enjoy the rest of the long weekend:)

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxxx

An Anniversary, Good News and Progress

Where do I start? Lol! Well let's start with my stitching progress first and foremost seen as this blog is what it's all about!

First of all my Monday evening on Shepherd's Bush Emmanuel's Song. I haven't finished the big row that I started last week as yet as I got a bit fed-up of it and wanted to do something different for a bit. There are some speciality stitches to pop in it so I'll probably do that this next Monday but then it's the sheep row! Yay! I have really enjoyed this piece as it is so pretty. I'm aiming for an end of May finish at the latest then I need to decide what to stitch next as I really want to carry on with the SAL with Barb and Colleen.

No stitching Tuesday ( I wonder why!!) but Wednesday night was SAL night with Lisa on My Bog Toe Designs A New Day. I managed a flower and a few more words. This is quite soothing to stitch and I love how it is looking.

Nothing else to show as the only other stitching I've done is on a birthday gift which I'm hoping to get made up later today. I think I must be the only person in the country who has not watched the Royal Wedding as I only popped the TV on for a few minutes to see Kate's dress and I must say she looks absolutely stunning.

Thank you for all your anniversary wishes and for your good thoughts and hugs on my( then) impending appointment at the breast clinic. I won't go into huge detail about my appointment as I'm sure you don't want to hear it but they did think they'd found something during my ultrasound scan and I could feel the panic rising and it got worse the minute they said they were going to scan my armpit to look at my lymph nodes. I don't think I have ever been so damned scared in my life and I just thought right this is it; I've got a fight on my hands. She fetched a doctor in to re-scan me and, thankfully, she thought it was just glandular tissue and fatty tissue possibly from my previous surgery 26 odd years ago. Strange how it was wasn't there before! I know those of you who have found lumps and been through this will know how relieved I felt and by the time I got home I just felt like bursting into tears!

So my DH and I went off in the afternoon for our night away with nothing to worry about, totally relaxed and happy although it felt very strange leaving the girls at home. If you'd like to see where we stayed you can do so here :) We had the Tudor room and the reason we chose that one is I've always wanted to sleep in a 4 poster bed lol! So I got my wish :) The room was gorgeous, the meal was absolutely delicious ( we chose butterfly chicken which was served with fresh vegatables, chips and salad and for dessert I had Bailey's cheescake and DH had Lemon Heaven), and breakfast the day was lovely. We never eat a huge breakfast so after that we didn't eat until about 6pm that day! Anyway here's a photo of us from 25 years ago!

And here's one from Tuesday taken on the 4 poster bed. Dh had a little tripod in his camera bag so was able to set his camera up!

I wish I was still as thin and pretty!

Well that is all from me for today. I'm off to catch on some blog reading just for a while then make up this gift :)

Take care everyone and thanks for reading my ramblings! I hope you are all safe in the south of the USA from the storms. I was watching the news last night and it was just awful. Stay safe {{{{hugs}}}}

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxx



It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day.........

It's a new start for Lisa and I! I bet you thought I was going to break out into song then didn't you?! Lol! Last Wednesday Lisa and I started our My Big Toe Designs A New Day SAL and we are both loving it! I am stitching it on 36 count Flax linen using GAST, one WDW and one Carrie's Creations and here is my progress from last Wednesday. I just love how this is looking so far and it is gorgeous to stitch.

I started making up my 25th anniversary sampler ready to hang on the wall for DH and I's big day tomorrow! I am very excited but also in a right panic over my appointment at the breast clinic but whatever the outcome of that we will deal with it. First and foremost is our anniversary. We've had our ups and downs, trials and tribulations, arguments and making up but we are still together:) Anyway last night I finished the ruched ribbon edging, did the bow and the hanger and here it is :) I am really pleased with the way this has turned out:)

Finally my progress on Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart Pink Hill Manor. Not much more to go on this one now. I love the colours in this one. I intend to personalise this for DH and I and our girls.

Nothing else to show at the moment as the other thing I've been stitching on is for a gift.

My first counselling session last Thursday went OK. It was very emotionally draining. I couldn't believe how tired I felt when I got back home. I have four further sessions booked starting in a month to see how I get on.

Well that's it from me on this lovely Easter Monday. I intend on catching up on blogs now as I don't think I'll be back on the PC after today until Wednesday, maybe Thursday. Have a lovely week everyone adn enjoy what's left of Easter:)

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxxx

I Have Stitched All of This.........

With my love and a kiss :) I put the final Fan stitches into my anniversary sampler yesterday but not without a visit from the frog on Sunday evening! I got all the top row of fan stitches done, went to start my bottom row and realised I'd started the top row in the wrong place. So I did the bottom row then started to slowly unpick the top row. I didn't get it all done before I went to bed so after I'd done the ironing yesterday morning I picked it up again this time deciding to just cut the rest! I sat and re-stitched the row only to find that I must have miscounted somewhere along the row but I decided that I am not going to take it out yet again or you might find me rocking in a corner! So here is my finished Blue Ribbon Designs Stitched With Love minus two flower rows and I must say that I am delighted with my finish:) I just love this gorgeous design and the colours in it. So now this week I shall start making it up into a hanging pin keep type finish. I just hope that when I go rooting in my fabric box that I have a big enough piece to back it with! If not we have to go to Beverley on Thursday so I shall pop into Boyes and see if I can pick some up there.

Blue Ribbon Designs Stitched with Love

32 count white evenweave

DMC

Started 10th January 2011

Finished 18th April 2011

25th Anniversary Sampler for my DH and I

I have loved stitching this so much but just wish I'd started it earlier so that I could have done it all but I think it looks just as good without those flowers:)

Friday and Saturday evening I settled down to stitch quite early in the evening so that I could get a good couple of nights on BBD AotH Pink Hill Manor. This is another enjoyable stitch and so pretty. This one seems to be stitching up quite quickly so far. This is my year long however long it takes SAL with Valerie, Jane and Lisa B.

Last night was another SAL night this time my SB SAL with Barb and Colleen and this week we went to Barb's for cocktails in the garden ( in spirit of course although it would be lovely to do it for real). I stitched up a few rows and started the big one you can see in my photo. This one really requires good concentration and counting so it was good for keeping my mind off other things. I think it will take me next Monday evening and maybe another one to actually finish this row but it will be lovely when it's done.

I'm starting a wee birthday gift tonight and I have also stitched one PIF and started another so if you are waiting for a PIF from me ( list on the right) please know I have not forgotten you. Tomorrow Lisa and I are starting our My Big Toe Designs A New Day then Thursday it'll be PS night. I hope to get back to Silver Creek Samplers Dandy Dreams soon too. Lots of lovely stitching to do!

I just want to say a huge thank you to those of you who left hugs, positive thoughts, good wishes etc for my appointment at the breast clinic. This time next week I will either still be there or on my way home and will, hopefully, know one way or the other what it is. I cannot thank you enough for thinking of me or tell you how much it means or how much I appreciate it. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends here, Needlecraft Haven and on Facebook {{{{hugs}}}} who are so supportive.

Not sure what I'm going to do this afternoon. Will see what Miss Abi wants to do. I think she's having a Harry Potter session seen as we bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 on Saturday! So I may cut some card and root through my fabric box so that I can start making Stitched with Love up:)

Have a lovely week everyone.

Take care.

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxxx

Almost There.........

With my anniversary sampler that is providing Belinda doesn't mind me leaving off two flower rows! There is no way, even with the best intentions, that I can stitch every bit so I thought if I left those two out it wouldn't look silly so that is what I am going to do. So here's my progress as off yesterday. 

I had planned to put 1986 to 2011 after our names but Abi said it would make it look as if we'd died so I unpicked what I'd got stitched and started over so it will now say 25 yrs! So, fingers crossed, this will be finished very soon. I bought 14 metres of ribbon yesterday ( 7 metres of 2 colours) for a ruched ribbon edge. Do you think I'll have enough????

My evening on SB Emmanuel's Song with Barb and Colleen went rather well although I will admit to finishing  the row another day as I didn't quite get it done and I was enjoying it. These darning rows look so lovely and are quite quick to do really although this one was a large one! I can't wait to finish this now so that I can get it hung on the wall but I think it'll take a few more weeks yet. It is looking so pretty even though I say so myself :)

Last night was my Prairie Schooler evening so a bit of progress on Daffodils. Still building the house but nearly there. Almost got the roof on! 

Hopefully Lisa and I are starting our My Big Toe Designs A New Day SAL next week depending on SWL goes. If I get it finished we're starting on Wednesday. I still need to get my fabric cut and prepared yet so really must get that done maybe over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to starting this :) Also have The Sanctuary SAL to look forward to with Chris:)

Abi finished school for Easter today so no more having to get up early if I don't feel like it! I probably still will but we'll see what happens! DH finishes on Wednesday for almost two weeks:)

Now I would like to ask for some good thoughts please. I found a lump so I went to the doctors on Tuesday. She is 99% sure it isn't anything but she would rather be 100% so has referred me urgently to the breast clinic. and then I get seen within 2 weeks otherwise I'd have a 6 week wait. Now guess when I go? On my 25th wedding anniversary! At first I said no but then I decided to just get it over with. It's in the morning so we'll be back in plenty of time to go away for the night. I wasn't feeling too bad until Tuesday evening when I got the phone call from the hospital to say they had an appointment for me then I started to panic. I have been in this situation before but it still doesn't make it any easier.

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post:)

Time to go think about what we're going to have to tea then I can settle down this evening to some stitching :)

Have a great weekend.

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxx

The Final Spot

A quick-ish blog post today just to show what I've been up to this weekend. Saturday afternoon I made the effort to finish up The Drawn Thread A Spot of Winter. The final one and another mattress pin keep to match the other three seasons. I'm really pleased with this and my DH even asked, when I'd got everything put away, what I'd been making. As I had been rather upset with myself maybe I should cry more often as he doesn't usually ask! I didn't have enough interfacing to back the fabric pieces with so it's not as solid as the others.

I made a start on my next BBD AotH block on Friday evening and here's my progress for the two evenings I stitched on it. I really like this block and this one will be personalised for my DH and I. Again I'm using GAST and DMC. I seem to have got a good bit stitched this time and that is what staying off the PC does for you.

I was planning a stitchy afternoon yesterday but it didn't happen. It was such a nice afternoon that we decided to go for a walk instead but I did stitch after tea. I should really start another SB ornament. I have the threads sorted and just need to cut some fabric but I really wanted to stitch on Silver Creek Samplers Dandy Dreams so I did. I have the verse stitched and some of the "clocks". I did seem to be a little distracted on this once Hawaii Five- 0 came on at 9pm! I hope to finish this in the next couple of weeks so watch this space as I'll be passing on the chart:)

Tonight is my SAL night with Barb and Colleen and I'm looking forward to settling down after tea with Emmanuel's Song and getting some progress in on it.

 

 

I'm hoping to start my other SAL's soon with Lisa (AND) and Chris ( The Sanctuary). They are both such lovely pieces and as I am taking one day at a time at the moment A New Day is very apt for me. Not long to go now to my first counselling session so, hopefully, I can start my journey to feeling "well" again.

 

 

Well I am going to get myself sorted and get on the Wii Fit for a bit. A little bit of exercise always seems to boost me a little until the board weighs me that is!

 

 

Take care everyone and have a wonderful week.

 

 

Thank you for visiting me and for all your lovely comments. It means the world to me to know that you are reading and enjoying my ramblings and stitching :) I will get caught on blog reading tomorrow as for today that is me done.

 

 

Hugs

 

 

Sally

 

 

xxx

A New Start and Progress.

This is kinda getting bad! Another new start this week and I should really stop before  all I have is new starts and no finishes BUT it's my hobby and I enjoy it. I will have finishes eventually! Anyway my new start was for the PS SAL over on NH which is a lovely, friendly Yuku forum run by Clare. I decided, after much deliberation, on Daffodils which is lovely and bright and, well, the thing that kind of swayed it was the sheep! Yes I am a sheep lover as well as a snowman lover incase you did not know!!! So here's my progress from last night.

Monday evening was SAL night with Barb and Colleen so out came Shepherd's Bush Emmanuel's Song. I did not quite manage to finish the cross stitch that I had started last week but never mind it'll get done this Monday then I can move on. Aren't these colours just so soothing? I can't wait to get to the bottom cross stitch row as it's those cute SB sheep!

I hope you are not getting bored just seeing WIPs but I haven't had chance to get my DT Spot of Winter actually stitched up as yet. Maybe this weekend? So here's a little progress on another WIP this time Silver Creek Samplers Dandy Dreams. Not much progress as I've just been adding a few stitches in an afternoon when I've had chance. Just love this verse on here.

Of course I am still stitching madly away on my anniversary sampler BRD Stitched with Love. It is going really well too and is so simple to stitch. Love these colours.

Finally those WIPs that seem to be getting left behind! The Primitive Needle's freebie By the Light of the Moon  ( Spooky SAL piece) has not seen the light of day for a few weeks now. The reason for that is my print out of the chart is rather bad and I can't see some of the symbols properly. I really want to finish this so I may just finish the tree and leave it at that so that I can make it up and have it on display at Halloween rather than leave it and have it become a UFO. The other one has had a teeny bit of attention and that is Shakespeare's Peddler Jenny Bean's Pin Tuffet. I plan on finishing this for a friend if I can get myself motivated to actually get the stitching done. I think I need a mental health day with nothing but stitching!

I have had a sort of my stash and am hoping to get all my DMC spares put into an inventory and I've also had a bit of a sort through my charts and have popped a couple more on my for sale page so please have a look to see if anything takes your fancy:) These are unused. I've had thema while and decided that I just won't stitch them. Thank you:)

Thank you for all your good wishes for Abi and I. We are both feeling a lot better although she scared me ( and herself) on Monday afternoon as she started to feel dizzy. I decided to read through the side effects of the diclofenac that the doctor had prescribed and sure enough, right down the list, was dizziness so I rang the surgery about it. They rang me later to say not to let her have anymore and to give her ibuprofen instead. Thankfully she's getting there now and her headache has gone.

Well I am off to play blog catch up for a bit.

Take care everyone and whatever you are doing enjoy the weekend.

Hugs

Sally

xxxx

A Wish for You

I am so pleased to report that I did get A Wish for You finished this weekend although I did have a bit left to stitch when I went to bed on Saturday evening so I put the final few stitches into it yesterday afternoon. This one has been another lovely to stitch and I'm looking forward to starting Pink Hill Manor on Friday :)

Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart A Wish for You

36 count Rosewood linen

DMC and GAST

Started 12th March 2011

Finished 3rd April 2011

I have added my paternal grandparents names to this ( Ethel and John), the year they were married and in the top right hand corner the initials F, M and H are the initials of their 3 children. As I said in my previous post the B on the door is the initial of their surname.

I forgot to take a photo of Blue Ribbon Designs Stitched with Love but it is stitching up well and I'm stitching some of the wording. I am thinking that if I run out of time I can leave some of the flower rows off but I will see how it goes.

With me not being well last week I did spend quite a bit of time in an afternoon stitching and I finished Drawn Thread Spot of Winter. Here it is all ready to be made up into a mattress pin keep.

The Drawn Thread Spot of Winter

28 count ice blue evenweave

DMC & GAST

Started 27th March 2011

Finished 30th March 2011

I'm hoping to get it finished off in the next few days.

Of course I could not resist any longer and had to start Silver Creek Samplers Dandy Dreams and what a joy this is to stitch! I was planning on stitching all the verse first but I ran out of DMC 3860 so had to stitch other bits instead. I'm using Jayne's Attic COTM Lily of the Valley fabric.

My order from Anita arrived after I'd done my blog post last Wednesday so that cheered me up! I plan on making a start on the Prairie Schooler Daffodils chart for the SAL on NH sometime this week, even if I only stitch on it for an hour one evening until I get BRD Stitched with Love finished. I am so bad having so many projects on the go but at least they are all doable and not huge! Then on Thursday my order from Sew and So arrived:) This is for my SAL with Lisa of My Big Toe Designs A New Day. We feel this design is very apt for both of us and can hardly wait to start it. I've chosen 36 count flax linen but have yet to decide on threads. I don't want to buy the WDW as I don't use them and would rather use GAST so will be looking through my collection and seeing what I can use. The nice thing is I had pennies in my PP for all of this. Very naughtily my clicky finger got the better of me on Dany's blog and I bought Printemps des Lapins which is a sweet design!

Dear Barb had been stash sorting and came across a Shepherd's Bush kit that she decided she wouldn't stitch and as she knows I like long sampler she sent it to me along with the chart for Lucky which she has just finished. Thank you so much Barb {{{{hugs}}}} I think I might have to do a poll to see which SB I start for our SAL once I've finished Emmanuel's Song. And typing of ES it's our SAL evening this evening and I'm looking forward to picking it up. Barb is starting Sophie's Roses ( I think that's what it is called) and we are hoping Colleen will be back with us again:)

I have added a couple of charts to my for sale page, a San Man Originals and a Homespun Elegance if you'd like to have a look :)

Thankfully I am feeling condisderably better than I was last Monday although not feeling 100%. I will admit to feeling scared even though I know what it is and by Tuesday evening I had a mild headache which I've had on and off since. However it has not stopped me stitching. Poor Abi started with a headache on Wednesday and by the time she got home from school she couldn't stand the brightness so Thursday she was in bed nearly all day in the dark. By Friday she was starting to feel better and by Sunday she decided she'd play on the Wii with Jess who surprised me by coming home yesterday for Mother's Day. Her headache started to come back so she's been to the doctors today and she's given her an anti-inflammatory so we'll see how it goes.

As I said yesterday was Mother's Day here in the UK. Abi brought me breakfast in bed although I had actually got up and was in the bathroom getting washed when she told me to go back to bed! I received lovely cards from both her and Jess as well as a Bouffle mug from Abi and a box of chocolates from Jess:) It was lovely having both my girls at home:)

I really must get myself sorted and try and get back on the Wii Fit this week. I just did not feel like it at all last week but I have to make the effort this week.

I am a bit behind on blog reading and commenting at the moment but will make the effort to catch up tomorrow. I foresee more enabling as I visit you all!!! Lol!

Have a wonderful week everyone. It's really dull and rather chilly up here today which was a bit of a shock to the system this morning after the warmer days we've been having!

Hugs

Sally

xxx