A visit from my son and his partner... and the dog!

A lovely day again when my son Simon and Tracy visited and with them came Asia..
she is a Japanese akita dog and huge! When she went in the lounge and plonked herself down, we couldn't get past her and the coffee table!

Christmas at home...

This was our table Boxing day strangely dh didn't take one christmas day I think it may have been as he did the bulk of the cooking!

This is just some of our christmas pics, we had a wonderful time and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit! As you can see my cracker had a little fan in it! This is me and my SIL the other pics show my step daughters one of my grand sons and my daughters back!

We ate well! Diet here I come!

My Birthday December 20th

These are all the beautiful cards and presents I had from my stitching friends over 40 threads, 4 kits, a thread organiser, some aida, and a lovely Lizzie Kate chart and as well as this a beautiful needle book from Sue which I have photographed separately. Isn't it beautiful and so is the card which she made as well.

I did have a lovely day, Mike bought me some beautiful earings with diamonds in their centres, an allotment book from my son Simon and a book voucher from my in laws... it seems my daughter who now is working couldn't organise herself t0 post me something and is bringing it with her when they come after christmas day!!! I have the cards from my family as well so in total I have had 56 cards! Several are beautiful stitched ones. So a lovely day!

My eldest and youngest sons and me!

Omgosh I look as though I had drunk the wine but I only had water... 'onest!
This is Simon, me and Michael..the weekend before last when we spent the day with them. Here we are at the pub. I had such a lovely afternoon with them all, Tracy Simon's partner and Helen Michael's partner. Simon is such a lovely young man and so patient and he paid for the meal as my birthday treat. And I have some lovely parcels to open tomorrow when it is my birthday!! Exciting I have about 40 cards and 12 parcels to open!

Something easy!

I bought this in August 2006 at the Quilting Show at the NEC and because I am all up to date with other xstitch and needed something easy to do I have dug it out of my UFOs or could have been called abandoned projects! I had gone wrong and couldn't see how to progress without major frogging, but a time away gave me the answers. It called ' Cats, Cats, Cats.' What a surprise! Being on 14 aida it has given my eyes a treat and I am so enjying doing it, I have photographed it and posted it here so it will move me to do lots more over the Christmas time before I start new projects in the new year.

And I have met and completed all my November projects, 3 pifs, 3 christmas ornies and the Monthly Challenge!

Every thing is happening together!

My threads have arrived from my regular supplier katsxstitch@hotmail.co.uk she now has her own web site so if you want some bargains then look her up. This little lot here 20 threads only cost £6 and that included p&p! wwwkatscrossstitch.co.uk
I wanted them for a Lizzie Kate design for the HoE for January, and a little something for a friend!


I also now have the 32c Belfast Linen in Antique Ivory and the Vicky Clayton hand dyed variegated threads for the Beatrice Potter sal starting in January.

The threads look a bit dark here but they are perfect and I love the crushed berry colours. The Antique Ivory looks a bit yellow to me but it was the one recommended, I am in two minds whether to get a different colour, perhaps just ivory... what ever as it is 32c I shall have to block it out and shall do this before the start date of January the first.

I have also now finished the three Christmas ornies which I shall clip to cards for friends. I am really pleased with the finishes as I have finished them all differently. I can show them here as they don't cross stitch nor blog! They are the friends I have through the Reading and Writing Group...

As well as finishing these I have also completed my three PIFs, so as soon as they are received by Sue, Kath and Gaynor I shall post pictures here...and I have finished the Lizzie Kate for the HoE so I am doing 'happy dances!!

TOF Exchange

I have had a lovely parcel from Sally all the way from Nova Scotia, Canada.

The picture doesn't do it justice.

The exchange was a biscornu and I asked for it in Christmassy colours and with it she sent some threads and sweeties! The sweeties were pumpkin poops and pepperminty golf balls! And also some bath salts all were packed in little christmassy bags!

Mine was to be sent to Sue in this country...I sent a biscornu, a Lizzie kate seasons chart, little bow buttons, and a Cath Kidson pin tin.

I loved sewing the biscornu and wish now I had taken pics of it by itself as I did a pattern on the back too!

The TOF is a group where each member is given a DMC colour thread to send on members birthdays. My birthday is this month and I have already had 14 cards and little parcels.... ooooooh exciting I have to wait till 20th to open them!