Stitching, Stuff and Well Done Abi!

We've had a busy couple of weeks with some stitching and a lot of kitchen ripping out and fitting but things have settled now so I can finally update my blog and, hopefully, catch up with you all. I feel so guilty that I am not visiting you all, so much so that I considered giving up blogging myself but I enjoy doing it and it's a way of showing my stitching.

So the kitchen is done barring kick boards, up stands, tiles and either paint or wallpaper. There won't be much wallpapering to do so we're hoping we might be able to get away with painting the walls  but we will have to see. Once it's all done I'll pop some pics up. Of course I now have to get used to cooking with an electric fan oven. I'm used to gas so meals may be a bit hit and miss for a while  but what I have cooked so far seems to have been successful!  We did well with the fitting really. Abi and Jess helped too. In fact Abi got well stuck in! I am really pleased with it all but I am a bit disappointed in my glossy worktops as they already have marks on them in spite of our best efforts to prevent it from happening. However we had a huge amount of dust and still have dust off the walls so I guess it can't be helped.

Last week Abi got her A level results. She was extremely nervous as last year she ( and many others) were let down by the marking system changing and the moderators messing things up and she was so sure it was going to happen again. Anyway she need not have worried as she got Bs in IT and Photography and C in Art. She was delighted with her results and was so relieved she cried!  We are so proud of her after all she has been through as it would have been so easy for to say to hell with it and give up. She is not sure what she is going to do now but will probably look for a job. She is rather sick of contacting people then not hearing anything especially those who have said they will get on touch.

Well I guess what you're really here for is stitching updates so here goes! Not only have I managed to complete my July ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL I have also done my August one as well as the wee bonus chart that came with All is Calm. Unfortunately my gingerbread on Gingerbread Village are either blind or have their backs to me! I couldn't for the life of me get the French Knots to go right and the beads I have are too big so I gave up!

I am now giving away the chart for All is Calm so if you'd like it just say so in your comment :).

Lesleyanne very kindly lent me the Gingerbread Village chart. Thank you so much Lesleyanne.  It's ready to come back to you so will get it in the post as soon as.

I didn't manage to make a start with Barb on LHN Little Sheep Virtues Faith when we had planned as we had somebody in  to cut the worktops for us that Monday evening. There was so much dust and noise and I couldn't get sat down in the living room as we had to move the settee to get the worktops out the patio doors to be able to cut them to size then bring them back in to cut them to join them etc. I made a small start later in the week then picked it up for a little while last Monday.

Before the sheep arrived we did a bit more on the mystery. Not sure when this will come out again.

I have almost finished Lizzie*Kate Not All of Us. This one has been such a joy to stitch as it's so easy to pick up and I just love this saying.  I took it to craft group with me yesterday in the hope of getting it finished but it didn't quite happen.

I didn't stitch at all on my HAED QS Spirit of Winter Robin last week so was happy  to get back to it last night.  Almost finished the 10 rows I'm stitching.

Finally some making up. I decided I really needed to get my Just Nan Floral Fifteen completed. I'd done so much and left it but decided to keep going until it was done. It was a bit fiddly but it's done and I amso pleased with it!

This is The Sampler Girl Northanger Abbey that I stitched over a year ago now hung on my Sampler Girl wall.

I have more to make up yet. I have a pile with fabric and trims at the ready so I need to get myself motivated to get it all done.

Oooh I am excited but also rather nervous as tomorrow evening I get to meet Mouse! She is working about 45 minutes away from me for a couple of days so asked if she could pop in for a cuppa so I said yes! Then one day next week my surrogate sis Lisa is hopefully coming to spend the day with me:).

Well I think that is all I have to tell you and show you for now so I will say goodbye and see you next time.

With much love

Sally xxxxx