Here's what I snapped:
I love how the frost sits on the nastertium flowers and makes them look like those crystallized jellied fruit slices that seem to be on sale around Christmas time.
Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 October 2010
On a Cold and Frosty Morning
This morning we saw the first frost. Even though I was running late for an appointment I just had to dash outside and take a couple of snaps. Mr Earplugs gave me a fabulous new camera for my birthday (a Panasonic Lumix FZ-38) and so far I've not had much chance to use it.
Here's what I snapped:
I love how the frost sits on the nastertium flowers and makes them look like those crystallized jellied fruit slices that seem to be on sale around Christmas time.
Here's what I snapped:
I love how the frost sits on the nastertium flowers and makes them look like those crystallized jellied fruit slices that seem to be on sale around Christmas time.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Catch Up Before Holiday Time
I don't know where the time goes! I've been meaning to do a post for I don't know how long but never get to it! So here is a quick catch up.
All three kiddies have had birthdays recently. Tiddler turned one:
He had a little family party at home which was slightly scuppered by my S-I-L's cat having an accident and everyone having to rally around to get it sorted out. Nevertheless he enjoyed the day and his cake! I managed to finish his quilt much to my surprise. It turned out really well (considering I can't get a walking foot for my machine) and I love it.
Nipper turned four:
He had a party for his nursery friends at a local leisure centre where you could hire the bouncy castle and soft play equipment. A fab time was had by all though the service from centre staff left a lot to be desired, the worst of which was when one of the kids was sick and the reception staff handed my daughter one wet jaycloth to deal with it. How can you clean up sick with one jaycloth?! No paper towels available anywhere - not even in the toilets, no disinfectant provided - yuck! Won't be going there again, nor recommending it - lol! Unfortunately I didn't finish his quilt - it's still a work in progress and he doesn't seem to mind. I bought him some Thomas trains and tracks off Ebay and he was over the moon with them.
I'm not doing too well on the crafty front generally. I eventually frogged Miss Muffett's poncho and I'm now attempting it again on smaller needles. It just wasnt working out - the Debbie Bliss cotton did not like being knitted up on a 10mm needle. We'll see how we get on with the new version.
Miss Muffett turned fourteen. Here she is with Tiddler's present - the cat thingy from Waybuloo (she has a thing about cats!)
She was easy to please - an LG Pop phone from me, some arty supples from Nipper, and a trip to the cinema and Pizza Hut with her best buddies. She even came home with some change from the cash I'd given her. I was impressed.
We were also impressed and very proud of her achievements at Junior Prizegiving. She has received prizes each year that she's been at secondary school but I've not been able to attend the ceremony before as they don't allow you to take young children (wonder if they'd have turned me away if I'd turned up with Tiddler anyway??) She received the lower school award for Drama, and also the Academic Achievement award for her year group. To top it off she came first in the 100m at sports day and was only beaten in the relay by the team who run for the school. Apparently her teachers are urging her to stand for head girl so Year 10 could be a very interesting year.
We've been to some lovely Summer fairs, four so far. I love them. Give me a cup of tea, a piece of cake, a book stall to have a rummage and a bouncy castle to entertain Nipper and I'm a happy bunny. We picked up some great books and cd's and some educational stuff for Nipper which looked brand new. But best of all was the visiting Fire Engine which came to Nipper's Nursery Fair. They allowed the kids to sit inside and pretend to drive. The nursery staff had a fireman's helmet and took pictures of the kids and gave them a certificate. Nipper was over the moon:
Some very exciting things have been going on in the garden! I decided to have a go at growing some veg, though left it a little bit late to be growing from seed, so I don't know how things will turn out. Here's a glimpse - the courgettes are doing very well and I'll soon have to start giving them away as we can't eat them fast enough:
The little ridge cucumbers are very sweet tasting:
The tomatoes are just starting to flower:
I never realised that pumpkins would take over the garden though given the size of the fruit it should have been obvious!
And look at this little chap having a whale of a time inside the flower:
The baby squashes are so cute!
What do you think of my lettuces?
Yes, they are nasturtiums. I gave up after 3 seperate plantings were gobbled up by an unknown critter. I'm having better luck with my 4th lot which are sitting on top of the guinea hutch:
I can only assume that the slugs dont like the feel of the roofing felt?
And remember this - the space where the old rotten shed used to be:
Well it's now this:
If only I had time to sit in it! It's become a den for Miss Muffett and her mates! It was a very kind and generous present from Mr Earplug's parents. It took a while to get it up and painted but it's lovely and won't be a teenage den for long!
Oh, and I finally got the remainder of the money that was outstanding following my car being pranged by the lorry driver - only took 16 months and a court case to get it!!
We're off to Devon tomorrow. This time we're having a whole week away and I cant wait!
All three kiddies have had birthdays recently. Tiddler turned one:
He had a little family party at home which was slightly scuppered by my S-I-L's cat having an accident and everyone having to rally around to get it sorted out. Nevertheless he enjoyed the day and his cake! I managed to finish his quilt much to my surprise. It turned out really well (considering I can't get a walking foot for my machine) and I love it.
Nipper turned four:
He had a party for his nursery friends at a local leisure centre where you could hire the bouncy castle and soft play equipment. A fab time was had by all though the service from centre staff left a lot to be desired, the worst of which was when one of the kids was sick and the reception staff handed my daughter one wet jaycloth to deal with it. How can you clean up sick with one jaycloth?! No paper towels available anywhere - not even in the toilets, no disinfectant provided - yuck! Won't be going there again, nor recommending it - lol! Unfortunately I didn't finish his quilt - it's still a work in progress and he doesn't seem to mind. I bought him some Thomas trains and tracks off Ebay and he was over the moon with them.
I'm not doing too well on the crafty front generally. I eventually frogged Miss Muffett's poncho and I'm now attempting it again on smaller needles. It just wasnt working out - the Debbie Bliss cotton did not like being knitted up on a 10mm needle. We'll see how we get on with the new version.
Miss Muffett turned fourteen. Here she is with Tiddler's present - the cat thingy from Waybuloo (she has a thing about cats!)
She was easy to please - an LG Pop phone from me, some arty supples from Nipper, and a trip to the cinema and Pizza Hut with her best buddies. She even came home with some change from the cash I'd given her. I was impressed.
We were also impressed and very proud of her achievements at Junior Prizegiving. She has received prizes each year that she's been at secondary school but I've not been able to attend the ceremony before as they don't allow you to take young children (wonder if they'd have turned me away if I'd turned up with Tiddler anyway??) She received the lower school award for Drama, and also the Academic Achievement award for her year group. To top it off she came first in the 100m at sports day and was only beaten in the relay by the team who run for the school. Apparently her teachers are urging her to stand for head girl so Year 10 could be a very interesting year.
We've been to some lovely Summer fairs, four so far. I love them. Give me a cup of tea, a piece of cake, a book stall to have a rummage and a bouncy castle to entertain Nipper and I'm a happy bunny. We picked up some great books and cd's and some educational stuff for Nipper which looked brand new. But best of all was the visiting Fire Engine which came to Nipper's Nursery Fair. They allowed the kids to sit inside and pretend to drive. The nursery staff had a fireman's helmet and took pictures of the kids and gave them a certificate. Nipper was over the moon:
Some very exciting things have been going on in the garden! I decided to have a go at growing some veg, though left it a little bit late to be growing from seed, so I don't know how things will turn out. Here's a glimpse - the courgettes are doing very well and I'll soon have to start giving them away as we can't eat them fast enough:
The little ridge cucumbers are very sweet tasting:
The tomatoes are just starting to flower:
I never realised that pumpkins would take over the garden though given the size of the fruit it should have been obvious!
And look at this little chap having a whale of a time inside the flower:
The baby squashes are so cute!
What do you think of my lettuces?
Yes, they are nasturtiums. I gave up after 3 seperate plantings were gobbled up by an unknown critter. I'm having better luck with my 4th lot which are sitting on top of the guinea hutch:
I can only assume that the slugs dont like the feel of the roofing felt?
And remember this - the space where the old rotten shed used to be:
Well it's now this:
If only I had time to sit in it! It's become a den for Miss Muffett and her mates! It was a very kind and generous present from Mr Earplug's parents. It took a while to get it up and painted but it's lovely and won't be a teenage den for long!
Oh, and I finally got the remainder of the money that was outstanding following my car being pranged by the lorry driver - only took 16 months and a court case to get it!!
We're off to Devon tomorrow. This time we're having a whole week away and I cant wait!
Thursday, 10 June 2010
I'd Better Get A Shift On!
I was leafing through the calendar, trying to find a date when we can meet up with a friend so all the kids can play together, when it suddenly struck me that it's nearly Tiddlers birthday. It's not so much that I'd forgotten, just that I hadn't realised we were quite so far through the year!
I'm supposed to be making Tiddler and Nipper a quilt each for their birthdays so I'd better get a shift on as my Mum would say. Mr Earplugs is going to be on serious kiddie watching duty so I can get Tiddlers quilt finished by Saturday. Here's a peek at the fabric:
It shouldn't take too long as the front is a printed panel so no need for patchwork - just quilting and binding.
It'll be good to do some sewing as things are rather stagnant on the knitting front. I'm part way through Miss Muffett's poncho but it's not going too well. The pattern is great and the Debbie Bliss cotton is yummy but the two don't seem to go together somehow. Miss Muffett is quite happy with it so I'll plough on and we'll see how it turns out.
I do have a couple of finished items on the knitting front. Tiddler's First Cardy was finished in April ready for his Grandparent's 40th wedding celebrations but it was very hot on the day and he didn't wear it! I first tried the pattern (Baby Sophisticate) back in November but it soon became clear that Tiddler was growing faster than I could knit so I gave up on it. Luckily I found a modified pattern on Ravelry to fit a 12 - 18 month old and it's perfect.
It was my first attempt at using circular needles and I couldn't get my head around how that would work until I had a go and then it all made sense. It was also the first time I'd used markers and I have to say I hate the split ring markers. They really get in the way and they're ugly too! That was a great 'excuse' to buy some nice beaded stitch markers instead. They were much better.
My second item was my Lost and Found Shawl (Gaia Shoulder Hug) so called because the Royal Mail lost my yarn order and then it mysteriously reappeared 3 weeks later.
I really don't like Noro yarn - well the two I've used so far. But for some reason it's kind of grabbed me. The Kureyon sock yarn was really twisted up and it's very rough. Luckily no knots this time. I don't know if I'll ever wear the shawl but I love it nontheless, and I've got another ball of Kureyon sock yarn and I know I'll be making another shawl with it!
Anyway, off to the sewing machine!
I'm supposed to be making Tiddler and Nipper a quilt each for their birthdays so I'd better get a shift on as my Mum would say. Mr Earplugs is going to be on serious kiddie watching duty so I can get Tiddlers quilt finished by Saturday. Here's a peek at the fabric:
It shouldn't take too long as the front is a printed panel so no need for patchwork - just quilting and binding.
It'll be good to do some sewing as things are rather stagnant on the knitting front. I'm part way through Miss Muffett's poncho but it's not going too well. The pattern is great and the Debbie Bliss cotton is yummy but the two don't seem to go together somehow. Miss Muffett is quite happy with it so I'll plough on and we'll see how it turns out.
I do have a couple of finished items on the knitting front. Tiddler's First Cardy was finished in April ready for his Grandparent's 40th wedding celebrations but it was very hot on the day and he didn't wear it! I first tried the pattern (Baby Sophisticate) back in November but it soon became clear that Tiddler was growing faster than I could knit so I gave up on it. Luckily I found a modified pattern on Ravelry to fit a 12 - 18 month old and it's perfect.
It was my first attempt at using circular needles and I couldn't get my head around how that would work until I had a go and then it all made sense. It was also the first time I'd used markers and I have to say I hate the split ring markers. They really get in the way and they're ugly too! That was a great 'excuse' to buy some nice beaded stitch markers instead. They were much better.My second item was my Lost and Found Shawl (Gaia Shoulder Hug) so called because the Royal Mail lost my yarn order and then it mysteriously reappeared 3 weeks later.
I really don't like Noro yarn - well the two I've used so far. But for some reason it's kind of grabbed me. The Kureyon sock yarn was really twisted up and it's very rough. Luckily no knots this time. I don't know if I'll ever wear the shawl but I love it nontheless, and I've got another ball of Kureyon sock yarn and I know I'll be making another shawl with it!Anyway, off to the sewing machine!
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Can You Sew Something For Grandma's Birthday Please?
Mr Earplug's is always a bit 'last minute' when it comes to present buying so I wasn't surprised to find that he hadn't organised anything for his Grandma's 91st birthday. She's a lovely lady and keeps us supplied with handknits for the boys so I figured she'd be more than happy with a handmade item herself. I decided to have a go at making a lap quilt. This was my first attempt at patchwork/quilting so I had a good browse on the internet and decided on a Disappearing Nine Patch design.
It was a bit scary cutting into the fabric with a rotary cutter for the first time, but I managed without making a hash of it.
I cut the fabric into 5" squares and stitched them into a nine patch.
I laid everything out on the bed to try and get a random pattern. Unfortunately I forgot to mark the orientation of the patches when I gathered them up - doh! I had to try to re-do the design as I was stitching them together and it didn't entirely work out as I wanted. But never mind, I'll remember next time!
I made too much binding just to be on the safe side - 2.5" wide strips, folded in half and ironed.
And here it is just before binding.
Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the finished quilt - another thing to remember next time! Grandma was really pleased with it.
It was a bit scary cutting into the fabric with a rotary cutter for the first time, but I managed without making a hash of it.
I cut the fabric into 5" squares and stitched them into a nine patch.
I laid everything out on the bed to try and get a random pattern. Unfortunately I forgot to mark the orientation of the patches when I gathered them up - doh! I had to try to re-do the design as I was stitching them together and it didn't entirely work out as I wanted. But never mind, I'll remember next time!
I made too much binding just to be on the safe side - 2.5" wide strips, folded in half and ironed.
And here it is just before binding.
Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the finished quilt - another thing to remember next time! Grandma was really pleased with it.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
And The Winner Is.......
Thank you to everyone who left comments for my giveaway. Apologies that I'm a bit late with it - I've been a wee bit under the weather and Tiddler has changed from a quiet, sleep loving chap into one who has found his voice and refuses to nap. I haven't managed to get anywhere near the computer in ages!
I decided to use my 'cat and kitten' bowl for the names for the giveaway. I love this bowl and usually put my keys in it - otherwise I forget where I've left them.
The winner is Suzan from Scrub Oak - the package will be on it's way across the Atlantic very shortly!
P.S. Many thanks to everyone who wished me 'Happy Birthday' (or 'Hefty Birfday' as Nipper calls it), both here and on Facebook. I got some lovely presents - a copy of Sewing In No Time and a copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting, flowers, a large box of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, a small box of Thornton's continental selection, a digital photo frame, a music thingy like an ipod shuffle but another brand, and a fab gadget that you attach to your wheelie bin to squash your rubbish down and therefore avoid being fined by the Council for having the lid open (I kid you not - I know someone who was fined!) - Mr Earplugs excels at finding 'useful' presents!
I decided to use my 'cat and kitten' bowl for the names for the giveaway. I love this bowl and usually put my keys in it - otherwise I forget where I've left them.
The winner is Suzan from Scrub Oak - the package will be on it's way across the Atlantic very shortly!
P.S. Many thanks to everyone who wished me 'Happy Birthday' (or 'Hefty Birfday' as Nipper calls it), both here and on Facebook. I got some lovely presents - a copy of Sewing In No Time and a copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting, flowers, a large box of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, a small box of Thornton's continental selection, a digital photo frame, a music thingy like an ipod shuffle but another brand, and a fab gadget that you attach to your wheelie bin to squash your rubbish down and therefore avoid being fined by the Council for having the lid open (I kid you not - I know someone who was fined!) - Mr Earplugs excels at finding 'useful' presents!
Friday, 31 July 2009
At least it's not Swine Flu!
It's been germ central here for the past couple of weeks. Nipper is very generous with the germs he picks up at nursery. He's had a nasty cough and has sounded like a dog barking! Miss Muffett had a nasty ears, nose and throat lergy and then poor Tiddler went down with a virus which had us at the local hospital for the afternoon. So worrying when they are so tiny (though Tiddler now weighs 13lbs and is moving into age 3 to 6 month clothing already). He's been coughing as if he's a hardened smoker, but as they said at the hospital, "at least it's not swine flu". He's also become quite colicky so we're not getting much sleep (I spoke too soon about him being a quiet baby!)
We had a momentous occasion this week with Miss Muffett turning into a teenager!
She was a bit disappointed not to have 13 candles but since she had a Thornton's toffee cake I think it would have been decimated by so many candles. She could open a shop with the number of presents she got - a benefit of having divorced and re-married parents and so a large extended family! I don't remember much being made of turning 13 when I was a kid. The big birthdays were 18 and 21. My 'big' present was a 'ghetto blaster' and a copy of Thriller on vinyl!
Nothing much else happening here at the moment. My parent's are visiting but the less said about that the better - lol! I could do 'a day in my life' but it would be filled with repetitions of 'fed Tiddler, changed Tiddler, put washing on, made breakfast/lunch/tea' so not very interesting reading! I hope to get a bit of knitting done at some point, but that really is hope over expectation so I won't be holding my breath!
We had a momentous occasion this week with Miss Muffett turning into a teenager!
She was a bit disappointed not to have 13 candles but since she had a Thornton's toffee cake I think it would have been decimated by so many candles. She could open a shop with the number of presents she got - a benefit of having divorced and re-married parents and so a large extended family! I don't remember much being made of turning 13 when I was a kid. The big birthdays were 18 and 21. My 'big' present was a 'ghetto blaster' and a copy of Thriller on vinyl!Nothing much else happening here at the moment. My parent's are visiting but the less said about that the better - lol! I could do 'a day in my life' but it would be filled with repetitions of 'fed Tiddler, changed Tiddler, put washing on, made breakfast/lunch/tea' so not very interesting reading! I hope to get a bit of knitting done at some point, but that really is hope over expectation so I won't be holding my breath!
Monday, 29 June 2009
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Monday, 22 September 2008
Birthday Girl!
This weekend has been just the best. We went for another lovely walk on Saturday and this time I remembered to take the camera so will be able to do a post about it later!
Sunday was my birthday. 21 again! I remember, when I was little, thinking about how old I would be in the year 2000. At that point 34 seemed ancient. I'm well past 34 now and don't really feel much different than when I was 21. How time flies.
We drove to my parents-in-law to drop off the kids so that we could have a child-free birthday lunch. This is the first time that me and Mr Earplugs have had any time on our own since Nipper was born (over 2 years ago). We didn't even have a child-free wedding night when we got hitched in January! We had a lovely lunch here and then went for a little country drive. I wanted to make the most of our precious time together as it probably won't happen again for another two years or so!
The 'birthday fairy' was very good to me and I got the top three books on my wishlist. I'm looking forward to getting some ideas for keeping Nipper entertained from Soule Mama and some inspiration on the sewing front from Angry Chicken. Best of all I can feed my new found sock addiction, and thank you Mum for your kind contribution to the sock yarn fund!
In addition I got a binder from my m-i-l for all those recipe clippings which festoon my kitchen bookshelf, a book from my s-i-l with lots of ideas for re-using and recycling, and a kitty calendar which had Miss Muffett squealing with delight (I think that will be disappearing into her bedroom!).
But the nicest thing of all was Miss Muffett's birthday cupcake. She made it at her Dad's on the Saturday and had been trying to hide it without squashing it in her bag.
I can't show a photo of the big birthday cake as that did get squashed when Mr Earplugs' neice accidently sat on it - thank goodness it was wrapped in cling-film at the time!
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