Halloween design by Lavender Wings

I am delighted with this and loved stitching it, and I got it finished by October 31st for the Monthly Challenge! It is Lavender Wings design on 28count even weave with DMC threads. It's called 'Scary Carrie' I shall post it to Saskia and although she now won't get it till next week it, it will go with her newly decorated bedroom which has an orange wall.
A bit chilly here today but who cares we are in the warm and relaxing!!

My Hubby

This is Mike cutting our stuffed marrow, grown by us. I say us, as I grew the seeds in a propagator and he planted the plants out in the garden. It was delicious! I add a bread sauce mix to the mince and onion and it gives it that extra bit of taste. Oh and yes I stuffed and cooked it!

Yesterday he ironed a pile of clothes at my daughters and I cleaned her kitchen and scrubbed her dreadfull dried as hard as cement porridge pot!

Her hubby calls it the devils pot as it is so hard to clean, why oh why doesn't she pop it into a bowl of water as soon as she has served the porridge I don't know! In spite of the fact we went there to Cambridge to help her to get straight and we did, we still had time for cups of tea and chats. Mike took the boys for a kick around in the park and they arrived back at the house just as a terrific hail stone storm arrived, it was so thick it lay on the ground like snow! Brrrrr I think our winter has arrived!

Our Conservatory

Just a corner of our conservatory with some of my new plants. I have been quite a while clearing it up. I love this little room and when I have a minute I intend to put some of my cross stitch pictures in there. All the little baskets and shelves have all my craft stuff there. I did intend to set up Aunt Alice's table with the drop down sides in there to make my cards etc but now with our big table in the dining room there's no need.


So this is where we sit for coffee, the lights are like bull rushes and we bought it with vouchers we were given by friends when we got married.
I like to light candles in there in the evening too and the refection in the windows is so pretty..


The odd plant on the little chest is an aloa vera brought back from holiday by Michael and Helen.. I am always afraid to water it incase I kill it!

The throw on the little settee is the quilt Jenny made for us. Its a Victorian Wedding Quilt

Every square has detail sewn on, fancy stitching, embroidery, beads, flowers, rosebuds, rings and hearts, it is so beautiful and so wonderfully made she is so clever.
I always show it to everyone that comes and tell them that my epal friend Jenny made that for us and gave it to me in April 2006 when she came here to UK.. We must go and visit her in Australia in the spring 2009, and this time nothing will stop us!!

Yesterday .....

.......We bought these plants for the conservatory, I want to spread them out on the window sill and give in there a good clean tomorrow.

We also ordered the curtains for our lounge! We will actually have curtains in there for christmas, they are Laura Ashley and will look perfect with our carpet, we also bought new lamps which are gorgeous and would have got a coffee a table too but delivery was February so we cancelled and came home and bought a pale oak one with two drawers from Oakland Furniture on line and also a nest of matching tables, it is so exciting, once we have up the pictures it will look simply lovely! I can't wait to have it all finished! It is light and pretty in there and with the down lights lit in the shelves in the evening quite romantic!

A very satisfying day!

My latest efforts!

This is my name tag hanging on my basket that I bought when we went to Gloucester and I went to Sue Hawkins work shop.. the basket doesn't go with anything in the lounge but I so love it!

I found the queen stitching quite hard again but looked back at Sue's very detailed pictures of how to do it and I did!

Pictured also is the acorn biscornu which I designed myself although I did see the acorn on a cross stitch pattern in a book the rest is mine. I was really pleased when I had finished it as it was the first biscornu I had made. I use it as a pin cushion and am always delighted when I see it...

The Thief

We think its this furry little rascal that has eaten all but one of our figs! you can see the little teeth marks on the solitary one that is left.. but he does give us loads of entertainment so we will forgive him this year and next year they will be covered with a fleece as soon as they start to form.

We have watched him this morning and honestly we felt exhausted for him, he was up and down off our bird table about 20 times and then digging up the plants in my flower beds to make room for his nuts... he scurried around all morning and we having done the shopping sat and watched him from our conservatory drinking endless coffee and eating jaffa cakes! A very pleasant morning!

Finishing off!

I have a been getting the finishing touches on several pieces of work completed which has been my objective these last few days as I have finished my exchanges.. so its been back stitch and beads on work.. I can't decide whether to frame my little 'Mice and Blackberries' or not I shall have to think about it.

My 'name' piece of work has turned out rather nicely and I am pleased with my queen stitches although it took me a while to get the long legged cross stitches quite right and I had to do some frogging! but it is going to look very nice tied onto my pink basket, can't wait to show Elaine who is coming for a cross stitch session next tuesday.

Tomorrow I shall take pics of everything finished or not. I can't decide what to do next I have got that lovely peachy biscornu to do so I might do that or the freebie Sew Pink..

I shall look at both tomorrow morning and decide then! I won't be able to do much during the day as I have to get the back garden sorted!

These were my summer pots.... I should be photographing my winter ones but they are still being planted!

Being Good!!

I desperately want to start that freebie name which is a needle keep or make it into a flat fold, but I have spent some time framing these two Helen Philip samplers. So I feel I have been good!

I love doing samplers like this as it is rows of different stitches and patterns... the winter one was the one I requested in the Cross stitcher magazine and I was inundated with pages and one women sent the whole magazine!! These have been finished for ages! I found the frames on some cheap pictures and they are just the right size and a fraction of the cost at Hobby Craft.
I have also finished my Christmas Exchanges and have little pressies to send with them, so I am going to sew the beads on my 'Mice and Blackberries' and look for a frame for that at the weekend too. I can then start that name!
Mike's new boss is delighted with the Program he has written and was wowed by the Report which he did too, into which he incorporated drawings and data pages so I have some clever husband!
And of course he cooks, what more could a woman want!
And I have a second reason for feeling I am being good as I have filled in my Tax Return at last!!!

FFFrriday, tomorrow its the weekend

I have such a lot to do I don't know where to start... I still haven't done my Tax Return!

I have nearly finished my cross stitch exchanges and want to do that name flat fold, I found on Victoria's Sampler Site. one for Yvonne and Rosalie and of course I have my christmas cards to make. And it would be nice to do one for Elaine and Debi in my reading group as they both sent me lovely cards and phoned and sent emails.

Elaine's was that lovely poodle painting which was Boysie when he was young before he started going grey!

Its been very quiet here today, we were up early and no dog to come up on the bed with us as we were drinking our tea at 5:30 again!! Mike wanted to finish this 'job' as he did none on Wednesday. As we were up so early we have put off going to the cinema it would have been a waste of money because I would have slept all the way through the film as I usually do!

Both of us have had a few tears as we sorted out his bed and food bowls. I have put his lead and pretty blue collar in the coat cupboard, the police gave it to us.

I keep seeing him trotting down the garden path after Mike, but only when it was dry he didn't like rain. Mike and I have laughed again at the fact that the poo bag disappeared that he had in his hand when the car hit him... I am just so grateful Mike has only got bruises.

These are my christmas goodies! I bought the fabric on line and have used some already for a flat fold . I will be using some on my ornie and a biscornu so exciting for me!

I am so pleased with my christmas biscornu which is for Sue in our TOF exchange I think I will make myself one! Its so red and green and pretty. When it's received I shall post a picture.

Sunny here but cold at the moment!

Best get myself off this butt magnet and do something!

I think we are off to see Mama Mia tonight which will be good for us as we need to get out more!