My news

Would you like to see my news over on my other blog?  Go on....go take a look :o)

The week

The van went to it's new owner.

My eldest asked me to.......

...cut his hair.

We had to have our eldest cat (the black and white one) put to sleep. That now leaves two. We also lost a chicken the next morning.

I bought more hand spun wool.

I prepped strawberries for jam.

I also had my first driving lesson, but ssshhhh, it's a secret.

Not sure all these ups and downs are good!

Thank You

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post, they mean an awful lot to me. I probably shouldn't have said about our financial sitution on the www but, heck, I'm sure many of us are going through similiar things. Anyway, this week has been about the same except for the minor stress of wondering whether I was going to get a biggish order for an event held in London...I got the job which is absolutely amazing.

I've still been attending the Wednesday Knitter Knatter where I shall just make scarves (above picture) and bits for the christmas shoeboxes, while nattering, of course :o). At the Sunday Knitter Knatter we actually had a new member too, and a lady who was having a meal in the restaurant stopped and chatted too, so hopefully she'll be brave enough to come next week.

This is a little bag I finished yesterday. It's made with the hand-spun wool I got from the farmers market a couple of months ago. As the wool is quite stiff I thought a bowl or bag would be great.

Right, lots to do so I best get off here. Thank you again lovely people of cyber space.

Downhill

Blimey, how can so much change in the space of a week! The bank rang...they're not renewing the overdraft so can we please bring the account back in credit!! Today, the car f***ed up after we have sold the van (it goes Monday but is not insured now)!! Money from van already going to pay off bills/cc!! I'm fed up of having no cash, of not being able to afford things, or scrimping to buy food...I just want a holiday. I know I shouldn't winge as there are people far worse off than me but it's just never ending. On a brighter note....


...I still have a dilly child :o).

PS..don't forget to take a peak at my other blog. Oh, Pippa...you can put handmade things in the shoeboxes but NOTHING with stuffing in as it's a fire hazard!

Fabulous few days

While doing my sorting out/tidying of the house I nipped some shoeboxes (for the shoebox appeal that have been stuck in the bottom of my wardrobe for years!!) to the lady in the village who runs the local shoebox group. While there we got chatting about knitting and she mentioned the knitter knatter group she goes to where they knit things for the shoeboxes...well, to cut a long story short, I went to the knitter knatter group (yes, there was more than 2) where I did some crocheting, plenty of chatting, had lunch bought for me, then went home 4 hours later....it was bliss. In fact so blissful that I couldn't be bothered to do much after that ;o).

So that was Wednesday. Yesterday we went to the library and charity shops where I found some books and the above glass bottle (2 in fact) which are now residing on my bathroom windowsill, and those gorgeous sheets. The plain yellow is actually a deeper colour than the photo shows. They are both brand new, although the flower one is the same as the vintage pink sheet I have...loads of fabric for £4.

And back to yesterday's post. JJ came home, happy as Larry with tales of the games him and his friend had played. Fantastic for a boy who has never really been away from us. :o)

Eek!

My baby (well not really a baby as he's 4, but you get the idea) has gone out... to someone else's house to play....without his dad or myself...for the first time EVER! And he went with a female!! He really doesn't get females at all...usually doesn't speak to them even! I'm trying to keep busy as I didn't even know he was going as he went with his Grandad to my see my hubby at his lock-up for half an hour.

That was a couple of hours ago..........eek!

On a roll

So back to yesterday.....this was a top in a charity shop which didn't fit properly so I tried to alter it. Well, I still didn't like it so I turned it into a shoe bag instead :o).

Remember the jean off-cuts that I was turning into a throw? Well I finished that yesterday too :o). Here's the front.....

....and here's the back. Its a fabric panel that my Nathan (middle DS) picked in Ikea but he never decided what he wanted it making into. Well I decided for him ;o).

And here's the coasters too. Great things to make with oddments of wool. Hope everyone else is having a productive few days :o).

Mojo

I seem to have found my housework mojo!!! which is a bit of a shocker as I don't like doing housework ;o). I've sorted out JJs bedroom and our bedroom (the elder two do their own rooms), which had turned into a storeroom for rubbish again. I even put some of the vast amount of ribbons on the empty ribbon holders I got in Boyes months and months ago.

I also seem to have my crafty mojo too. I've been sat finishing a commission piece for someone this morning, then JJ scraped his leg on the wall so we needed a distraction. He spotted one of Hubby's t-shirts on my material pile which he didn't like and I was going to turn it into a cushion or something. Well, JJ and I decided on some new pyjama bottoms instead so we did the Soulemama t-shirt-into-bottoms-thing which was sooooo easy and took less than an hour!

I also finished Hubby's bedside mat the night before last and I've done a few coasters too as they don't take long at all. Off to see what else I can do :o)

Book Recommendation

This book was recommended by the lovely Ruth - I've just finished reading it today and it's amazing. It's about a group of women who used to write to each other via a secret magazine which started after a plea for help from a Mum in Nursery World magazine in 1935. Through the magazine they gave each other support, love and friendship for over 60 years - it brought me to tears on a few occasions, and the woman I read about inspired me completely. I heartily recommend it to any woman :o)

Free Food

Some of the wheat that was growing at the edge of a rape field that I brought back for the chickens.

Our own wheat that is growing in the grass as the lawnmower is still broke!

Tatties growing that I missed digging up last year - I know your not supposed to do that but what the heck, eh!

Food for the honey bees, then....

.....food for us (only free as my Nan gave me the raspberry canes).

A sunflower that has grown from fallen bird seed :o)

Nettles (see aforementioned lawnmower problem ;o) )

Poppies growing from seed we harvested last year then scattered a while ago. I'll harvest the seeds to spread on salad and put in my bread.

Chamomile :o)

Brambles growing in the chicken run.

Lavender from a neighbour who cut down most of their lavender bushes!!!

And some of the radishes left to run to seed - free food for next year :o).

Isn't it amazing what you can find in your garden when you have a little stroll :o)

-X-