I am Still Here!

I know it's been a while since I last blogged! I try so hard to make the effort but it just doesn't seem to be happening but I guess if I blog every now and then to keep my hand in I won't lose the bug all together.  I most certainly don't want to use Instagram ( although I am on there but hardly ever use it! ) as it seems so impersonal and I have always loved the blogging platform and made many lovely stitchy friends since I started a few years ago. There was a point a few days ago where I thought I'd just give up but I don't want to so you won't be getting rid of me lol!

First of all I just want to say a massive thank you for all your good wishes for Abi. All her bloods came back normal which is good but also a little frustrating when she has been ill on and off for so long and lost weight. She gets so down and suffers with anxiety which doesn't help either. Anyway she seems to be picking up a little now and is slowly eating better so fingers crossed she is turning a corner. The doctor thinks she has picked up a winter bug that has taken some getting rid of and that she will pick up again over time. She has started coming to craft group with me ( she taught herself to crochet a while ago ) when she's not working so she's seeing different people.

So what have I been up to stitching wise. Well my fourth Shepherd's Fold piece, Cherish Life, was finished and I finally finished making it up yesterday. It is far from perfect but I love it. The wool inside is supposed to have a herringbone stitch down the middle but my brain wouldn't engage so I didn't do it!

So the fifth piece, Fear Not, was started . This one will be a needleroll. I look at these pieces and think oh that won't take long! Haha! They take longer than you think but then again I do only stitch one evening a week on them.

I finished the stitching on my February ornament and waited for March to come around to start another.

Blue Ribbon Designs Snowmates

40 count Sand linen

DMC

I'll get this one and my January one made up soon. The craft knife that I used for cutting card disappeared and even though I turned the house upside down it didn't turn up! DH was sorting the boot of the car out and found it in there! We'd put Christmas wreaths on our parents graves early in December and taken the knife to cut string to tie them on with!

Last night I made a start on my March ornament.  Any ideas what it is Barb?! It is from the 2015 mag.

Barb and I have also been stitching away on our sheep SAL but we are not really feeling it with this one. I'm going to persevere with it though as it will be lovely when it's done. Violet is now complete and she has her sheep by her side. Now she just needs her flowers to water.

Gill and I have been trying to get back to our craft mornings recently and we've managed two so far! I have picked up HAED Mini Jolly Old Fellow to stitch when we have our mornings and I also stitched this on Sunday ( Mothers Day here ) as I was on my own. I've filled in all the squares from when I did the challenge on the HAED Facebook page. I can't wait to get to Father Christmas although it will slow me up a lot then!

The first page of HAED Dragons History was finished a couple of weeks ago and I made a start on page 2. I can't wait to get further down the page as the top of the dragon will appear!

I went through all my HAED charts last week writing order numbers on the front pages and if they were RAKs, birthday gifts and who they were from or I'd bought them myself. Bad idea as I wanted to start so many of them! Of course I'm not going to as I don't want to get snowed under again like I have in the past as that is when they end up getting put away for ages. The times I've said I'll keep going until one is finished and ended up putting it away is ridiculous!

I have stitched a few extra times on CCN Countdown to Christmas to try and get more done. I love it but I'm a little fed up of it now but don't want to put it away for fear I'll never finish it! I still have quite a lot to do but hopefully those little motifs in the boxes won't take too long!

Oooh I am so excited as I have almost finished AotH Evergreen Lane! I just have to fill bits around the border and add the personalisation but I'm not sure how I'm doing that yet. So just one more block to go and the bonus bit! I wonder if I can get it finished by mid year!

Have any of you seen anything that you like from Nashville Market? I don't think I've seen everything but nothing has really jumped out at me which is good! I'm not buying anyway as I haven't finished 10 things yet and I'm trying not to buy on impulse when I allow myself to buy as that is not good!

As I mentioned earlier it was Mothers Day here in the UK on Sunday. My girls gave me some lovely card and pressies. Jess bought me the Harry Potter colouring book. She says mistakes were made as she didn't realise there were snakes in it lol! She'll be colouring those pages for me! Abi bought me the book and the choccies which look too nice to eat.

A couple of weeks ago I decided I'd had enough of my hair style. I loved it when I had it cut for my 50th birthday but it wasn't how it was then having had to change hairdressers when ours left. So I messaged my current hairdresser and told her I wanted a change, took in some pics to show her and off I went last Wednesday feeling rather nervous!  If you look at my profile photo that's me just after I'd had it done. Of course I can't get it like that  no matter how hard I try lol but I love it.

Time for me to get some photos uploaded and publish this! Thank you for reading and for all the lovely comments you leave me. You have no idea how much they are appreciated.

With much love.

Sally xxxxx