Well.....That Was Scary!!!

The rain poured steadily all morning and early afternoon yesterday but then the wind got up and the rain became a monsoon like monster. I have never seen anything quite like it and I know that because in all of our twenty years here I have never seen our back garden flooded. Waterlogged...yes but flooded...no. There must have been a good three inches of water laying on the path and part of the lawn. I would have gone out and got a photo but I would have been battered by the stair rods that were coming down.
Once the rain stopped it drained away quite quickly and then we got some sunshine and a beautiful double rainbow......although it was only a partial one.
We're supposed to get more of the same today so the dining room curtains can stay where they are for the moment.

When I went to do a top up shop yesterday evening I was a bit naughty and purchased a quilting magazine....Love Patchwork & Quilting. It had a fabulous little book with it of 50 block designs using 5" charm squares and I can't wait to try some of them even though my mojo is still in hiding.
No yellow sticker bargains to be had in the meat or veg sections but I did pick up a couple of loaves of hubbys favourite super thick bread for toast at 25p each and three packs of rolls for 33p each. All in the freezer now.

Does anyone else go through stages of disliking particular rooms in their house. At the moment I am on a huge downer with my kitchen and would desperately love to redesign and refit it. I shouldn't dislike it as I designed it myself, hubby and I fit it ourselves and then I did all the tiling and decorating myself but I suppose that was nineteen years ago and it is looking shabby now. The storage doesn't work for me any more and I never seem to have enough worktop space. If I won the lottery I would love a 1950's diner style kitchen........that would be my dream.
Which is your least favourite room and what would you do with it if you could change anything you liked?

The dark clouds are starting to roll in now so it looks like another indoor day today.
Not much cooking to do as hubby has asked for sausage and tomatoes for tea with a few chips and he has already peeled the potatoes for me when he got in from his night shift this morning. He hates me peeling potatoes because I don't use a potato peeler I use a knife. He thinks I peel them too thickly but in all honesty I don't. In fact I can peel them thinner than he does. It's all in his mind.....lol.

Well I shall love you and leave you and go and do a bit of tidying up and wash my breakfast pots, have my coffee and then decide what I shall do for the rest of the day.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x- 

I Bl**dy Give Up!!!

I'm sick to death now of planning jobs and being scuppered by the weather.
Yesterday within half an hour of doing my blog post the sunny breezy morning turned into a cold and wet one. It rained heavily for the rest of the day........and it's raining this morning.
It was so cold last night that I seriously contemplated taking a hot water bottle to bed but opted for slinging the duvet back on top of the light throw instead.

Sandy asked if we drink tea in our house.........oh yes we do Sandy.
I am horrible in a morning until I have had my cup of tea.....Twinings Everyday for preference but I'll drink anything as long as it's good and strong. I have one coffee in the morning and then the rest of the day it's tea.

As it was so cold last night I dug some turkey mince out of the freezer to defrost and today I will turn it into a turkey shed pie.....lol.......cottage pie but made with turkey. DD got soaked through yesterday and it looks like she will again today so something hot for tea should go down well. Also Miss Doodle will be here and she loves cottage pie and gravy.

A bit of a flick around with a duster and then a quick hoover when hubby gets up and that's about all my housework for today. I don't know what I'll do with the rest of the day as I still haven't got my sewing mojo back. I don't know where it's gone or why but I 'm sure it will turn up again soon.

Well I hope your day isn't as grey and miserable as it is here.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

Stay Right Where You Are........!!!

.......I'm talking to the sun and the breeze that is currently blowing quite nicely as I have woken up in quite the opposite state to what I did yesterday and have a mind to finally tackle the washing of the dining room curtains.
You may think huh what a wimp having to work herself up to wash a pair of curtains but actually the dining room is a bit like a solid roofed conservatory and is windows on three sides so I have three pairs of curtains to wash which I am going wash one pair at a time so I don't get them all mixed up.......they are all different widths. This will be their first time of being washed since I made them so I hope to gawd they don't shrink too much.
While they are down I will wash the windows and frames.

It's not very peaceful here this morning. Someone is sawing and using an electric screwdriver which is making a horrible whining noise. Hopefully they will be done soon.

Time for coffee and then I have a list of phonecalls I need to make.
Hope you are having a good day.
Sheila-x-

Sticky!!!

Hoooooey....it's a tad warm here this morning. Not nice warm though....it's humid and sticky. There is a slight breeze and it's dry so at least the laundry can go on the line.

It's taken ages this morning for me to get my engines revved. I think I slept too deeply last night and woke up feeling like a slug...ugh.
I've got a couple of jobs done in a rather slow and ponderous manner but hubby is just making coffee which will give me a bit of a boost and speed me up a bit.

Next job on my list is to tidy away the dolls who are putting on a fashion show in front of the bookcase and then hubby has requested a sausage casserole for tea so I have the prep to do for that. I will not be partaking. I shall have a salad. DD can choose which she wants when she comes in.

Season four of Wentworth begins tonight so DD and I will be watching that as we can't wait until the dvd comes out in October.
We've watched a couple of really good films on tv this weekend. Life Of Pi......which I had never really fancied but turned out to be really good and The Railway Man which we watched last night was excellent. Both will be going on my dvd list.
We also watched the programme about the film reels from World War II which was very moving.

Right....I shall go and crack on with these jobs.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

 

Fabulous Weekend So Far!!!

My Miss Doodle has gone off to a party. I hope the weather holds as she has gone to an adventure farm.
After all the cutting, gluing and sticking to make her safari collage my dining room looks like the wreck of the Hesperus and will need a thorough bottoming tomorrow.
For now I am cooking Sunday lunch and having a look at the Sunday papers......bliss.

More babysitting lined up for next Saturday when I will be minding both of my gorgeous girls while Mummy goes to a hen night and Daddy goes to a concert.

Hope you have all had a great weekend.
Sheila-x-

Early Birds!!!

Up at the crack of a sparrers doo dah this morning due to the fact that Ruby likes company when she sleeps. I was in bed by 10pm and up at 6:30am. Slept like a log and feel so much better for it.
We'd had a breakfast of eggs and toast by just after 7am and then we decided to get on with some of the crafting and make the wooden spoon character. Ruby did an amazing job with the cutting and the glue. I added the hair as we were using a glue gun and I didn't want to return her to her parents damaged in any way...lol.
We just have a safari collage to do now but Ruby has gone for a little trip out with DD as she  needs a new pair of shoes to keep here and she has pocket money to spend.
While they are gone I will tidy up, fold some laundry and put another lot in to wash. It will have to go into the dryer today as it's raining:(

I hope it's dry where you are.
Sheila-x-

That's It Then!!!

We have woken up this morning to the news that we are out of the EU. I am happy about that but I realise that not everyone will be.

It's going to be a busy weekend with Miss Doodle in the house. Tonight she is being taken out for her tea and going to the cinema with Aunty DD and then tomorrow we have lots of crafting to do to make her entries for the craft competition at school. Sunday she has a birthday party to go to so I expect she will be proper pooped by the end of the day.

So....no cooking today as two are going out and hubby won't be home until 9pm. I will just have a bit of salad with something and he will have a filled roll when he comes in.
I do need to go and change the bed that Doodle and I will be sharing and tidy up the bedroom a bit but that is all I have to do today.

I have got no further with the quilt top for Marlowe which I was so eager to get done. I am just not in the mood at the moment and I know I will make mistakes if I do it when I don't feel like it and I don't want it to end up looking like a rag because I have had to keep unpicking it.

Well that is my weekend sorted out.....what will you be doing?
Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

Where Did That Go Then!!!

I think I must have blinked and missed yesterday. Lots of busyness in the form of cooking, tidying, a bit of laundry, a visit from Miss Doodle, taking her home and then food shopping.
DD and I finally sat down to have our tea at 8:30pm which was half an hour before hubby was due home and I had to start again.
No time to even catch up with all my favourite blogs that posted later in the day so I will rectify that today while I have my lunch.

This morning I have made the cheese sauce for the lasagnes and made up a large one for us and a couple for DS and DDIL. Ours never got anywhere near the freezer once hubby saw it. A portion of it is now filling his tummy and the rest will be for tea for DD and me later.

This time thirty three years ago......after being messed about with for nearly a week.....I was hours away from giving birth to my beautiful little son. I had a dreadful pregnancy after not getting a positive pregnancy test until I was six months pregnant, a traumatic week of them trying to make me go in to labour and have what they called a 'normal' birth after a previous caesarean birth and ending up with another caesarean anyway. I lost so much blood that I had to have a transfusion and baby had jaundice so not the happiest of experiences. Even the birth announcement in the local paper went wrong and they printed that he had been born in 1969....lol.
Despite all that he has grown up to be a wonderful son who now has a little family all of his own.
Happy 33rd Birthday Dean.
We love you and are all so proud of you.

DD and I will be visiting him later to deliver gifts and kisses and on the way we will call in to vote. The village hall which is our polling station is a nightmare for parking being right across the road from the school so best to avoid at any time there will be people dropping off or picking up children.

Just a kitchen tidy to do once hubby has gone off to work and then I think I am going to collapse in a heap in front of the computer, catch up on some blogs and then have a You Tube session watching sewing videos for an hour until it's time for DD to come home.

Hope you are having a great day today.
Sheila-x-

A Wednesday Waffle!!!

It was hot yesterday and I had about as much energy as a gnat.
Today is slightly cooler with a nice breeze which is a good job as I have cooking jobs to do.
DDIL has asked if I would please make her one of my lasagnes so I thought I would make a batch of them for our freezer and a couple for theirs. I'll make the sauce today, leave it in the fridge overnight and then make the dishes up tomorrow.

I did some sewing yesterday but not the quilt. Just a quick bag to pop my purse in when I go shopping. It turned out OK but the webbing I used for the strap seems a little flimsy to me so I may have to look for something sturdier.
Talking of sewing....I didn't envy the contestants on Sewing Bee having to make the sportswear. Not something I would like to tackle.
I was sad to see Rumana go.

Right.....I've had my coffee so I had best go and get chopping and get this sauce on the go.

Thanks for dropping by today.
Sheila-x-

It's Back Again!!!

That strange light has returned and I think it's going to be a tad warm so I will not be doing anything over strenuous as I would like to avoid doing my impression of a beetroot on legs. I get very red in the face and headachey when it's too warm.
I think it's time to fill up the ice cube trays and make some homemade lemonade.

I didn't get any sewing done yesterday as we had a power cut for a couple or so hours. Something gone wrong at the sub station down the road I think. By the time we were hooked up again I had lost my mojo and just cut up some fabric for my next project which will be a small cross body bag to use when I go shopping. It will have just enough room for my purse and a pack of tissues as my current bag drives me mad. It's a portable treasure hunt on a strap....way too many compartments.

Salad for tea tonight I think which we will have with some lamb koftas and a minted dressing. It sounds lovely and cool so just the thing for a warm day.
Hubby is having roasted belly pork before he goes to work. He likes it cooked until it is crispy so I shall go and put it in the oven shortly. Once that is done I am going to watch the latest episode of Sewing Bee while I have my coffee. If I don't watch it today I will forget all about it as I get busier towards the weekend.

Hope it's sunny where you are.
Sheila-x-



 

Another Week!!!

One of my neighbours has just bought a lovely caravan.......I think they would have been better buying a boat.
Yes you guessed it......we have torrential rain again since early morning and it doesn't look like it is stopping any time soon.

Lunch out yesterday was lovely........or bostin' as hubby says.....lol.
We were hoping that DS and DDIL would come for tea with the children but DDIL and Ruby both had upset stomachs so it was just Hubby, DD and me. It was nice but would have been nicer with the family here.

Just the usual post weekend jobs to do today plus a bit of laundry. My shoulders and chest are better now so the beast will be out this week sometime for the bedroom carpet.
Hubby needs feeding at lunchtime this week so once that is done today I will definitely be sewing.
The rest of the week I will be sorting out things for a crafting weekend with Ruby. She is entering a craft competition at school so it makes sense for her to come here and do it and have everything to hand. I am looking forward to it.

A nice strong coffee and a quick read of the papers and then I shall go and get started on some more jobs.

Hope it's dry for you today.
Sheila-x-

What's That Then?!!!

There's a strange bright light outside this morning.....oh...I've just realised it's the sun. Well hello stranger....lol.
Having said that...there are still lots of grey clouds that look like they may throw something at us later.

DD and I are taking hubby out for lunch today seeing as how it's Father's Day and then this evening we will be having a little tea party for him. He loves to have a proper tea on a Sunday with sandwiches and cake....bless him.
By the time I have baked and prepared tea and prepped all the fruit for lunch boxes for the week there won't be much time for sewing today so I will give myself a whole day in the week for that as I really want to get the quilt done for Marlowe.

Oooooh I smell coffee....I'm off.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Cuddles, Cuddles And More Cuddles!!!

I've not long got back from spending seven wonderful hours looking after Marlowe. Oh she is such a lovely baby....I know I am biased but she is...lol.

We've had a very lazy tea.....pizza's and a tub of coleslaw picked up from T's on the way home. Tea was on the table within fifteen minutes and only plates and cutlery to wash up.

Margaret P.....I wouldn't dream of setting hubby on with the carpet cleaner. He works his forty hours a week outside the home and the keeping of the house is my job unless he offers to do something....... which he does on occasion.
I'm sorry you don't like me calling him hubby but we have been married for nearly forty years and I have always called him that so there is very little chance of me changing it now.

Well....I am not starting any housework at this time of night so I think I shall just watch some quilting videos on You Tube for a while and then settle down with hubby later and watch a film.

Hope you are having a good weekend.
Sheila-x-

 

Mad World!!!

My thoughts this morning are with the family of Jo Cox who was so brutally killed yesterday.
Our world today is a very ugly place indeed.

I have been in absolute agony since yesterday morning. When we came back from shopping on Wednesday evening it was raining very hard so DD and I just grabbed all of the bags and ran up the garden path as quickly as we could. Unfortunately I had grabbed all of the heavy bags and have pulled the muscles in my shoulders and chest. I feel like I have been stomped on by a herd of cows.
I was going to give the bedroom carpet a freshen up with the beast of a carpet cleaner but I don't think I can cope with it today so that is put off until the pain has eased a bit.

Had a lovely couple of hours with DDIL and Marlowe at the garden centre yesterday. Saw several things I would have liked to buy but kept my money firmly in my purse as none of them were things I needed.
Margaret P....Marlowe is my thirteen week old Grandaughter.

I think I will just spend the day sewing today. I won't get chance tomorrow as I am babysitting Marlowe all day and Sunday we are taking hubby out for Father's Day lunch.
BLT's (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches) have been requested for tea tonight so that is what we're having although I could quite happily repeat what we had last night which was a Crunchy Tuna salad.....tuna mixed with sweetcorn, red onion, green pepper, pineapple, mayonnaise, a dash of Tabasco and salt and pepper. It was absolutely gorgeous served with salad and jacket potato.

Well it's a bit early but I am really ready for my cup of coffee. I was up a lot earlier this morning as DS was coming round to borrow the van to do his good deed for the day which is helping Ruby's school by disposing of some unwanted stuff for them. He's a good fella.

See you all tomorrow.
Sheila-x-

Thursday!!!

Good morning from a damp and miserable corner of Staffordshire.

Some of the replies I had to my post yesterday had me in fits of giggles. Yes I do have a set day for sorting out the fridge to get rid of any bits that might want throwing out and to see what I might need from the supermarket when I shop that day. It just makes sense to wipe it over inside and out while I am doing it. That is the only job that has a set day everything else just gets done on a very loose schedule of if I can be bothered or not....lol.

Margaret P....DD is Darling Daughter. DS is Darling Son and DDIL is Darling Daughter In Law. I don't use any of their names due to the jobs they all do. Also for this reason I am unable to post pictures of Ruby and Marlowe......other than a couple of pics when she was born.

It's a bit of a quick post this morning as I am off out shortly with DDIL and Marlowe and then by the time we get back DD will have finished work and will be waiting for me to go out with her.
Not much time for sewing today which is a pity as I am getting on well with the Vintage Picnic quilt.

Hoping your day is a bit drier than here.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sheila-x-

Shivering!!!

Blimey.....it's cold this morning.
Yesterday evening we had a thunder storm and then about 1am we had torrential rain again. Everything in the garden is looking bashed and battered so there will be a few snipping and tidying jobs to do when it's fit to go out. The lawn is waterlogged so I don't want to go trampling on it as it's still showing the scars of where the materials lay for the roofline work although it is growing back.

I have just eaten what is possibly one of the worst breakfasts I have ever eaten. I'm trying to cut down on having toast every morning so had a bowl of Kellogs Nourish topped with some mango.....gawd it was like eating cardboard covered in slime......absolutely disgusting. Back to the toast tomorrow but just one slice instead of two.

Wednesday is fridge cleaning day. It shouldn't be too bad today as we have used all of the salad and the only veg I have in there are red and white onions and a bag of carrots for the dog. Just need to check the yoghurts are still in date and give the fridge a good wipe inside and out and add things to the list for shopping tonight that we might be short of.

Looking forward to seeing my Ruby later as I have not seen her since last Wednesday. She was down in London over the weekend with her other Grandparents.
Tomorrow I am off out for a walk round the garden centre with DDIL and Marlowe and then Saturday I'll be taking care of Marlowe for the day while DDIL and Ruby go to see a show and DS is helping some friends move some garden rubbish. A whole day of baby cuddles....how marvellous.

Right I had best go and play nurse to Smudge dog. His eyes need bathing and treating with his drops and the hair around his eyes could do with trimming a little......a job I hate doing.

Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Off We Go On A Vintage Picnic!!!

A new quilt started and it is going much faster than I thought it would.
All of the white squares were cut on Sunday and I made a start on sewing them to the Moda-Vintage Picnic squares.
Yesterday I finished off the sewing and cut the pieces apart to form the half square triangle blocks and then last night I finally decided on the pinwheel configuration and started sorting them into their four by four blocks.
Today I will finish sorting them and hopefully make a start on sewing the blocks together to form the rows.
The colours in this pack are just mouthwatering. Peach, Sage, Teal, Lime, Red and Navy and I will put the quilt together with Peach at the top and work my way down in the colour order above to the Navy.

Torrential rain here again today. Poor DD......I hope she can find some inside jobs to do today at work.
My poor peony is so heavy with rain that it is kissing the lawn now so that will be her done for this year I should think. At least I got a picture of it and I'll just have to look forward to next year in the hope that it will produce more than one flower.

More salad for tea again today to use up the last bits before I do a top up shop tomorrow. We'll be having chicken strips and corn on the cob with it.
All on my own for coffee this morning as hubby is in bed having come in from a night shift so I'll go and put the kettle on and then I need a browse around some fabric sites to search for backing and binding fabric for this new quilt. I'm thinking a white on white swiss dot but will more than likely change my mind once I get rummaging through all the gorgeous stuff out there...lol.

Keep dry if it's wet and cool if it's hot where you are.
Sheila-x-

Mug Mats And Roses!!!

Mug mats

Beautiful roses

Well I have had quite a productive weekend this weekend for once. A finished quilt top, three mug mats made and I have started on the quilt for Marlowe. I loved making the mug mats which were so quick and easy that I made three from cutting to finishing in just half an hour. I think they will make a lovely little something to add to gifts at Christmas so I will definitely be making more.
Here is the LINK to the tutorial if you want to have a go at making some yourself. They are made from six 5" squares and a piece of batting so a good way of using up oddments.

The beautiful rose climbing up my dead apricot tree is stunning this year it has so many buds on it I'll be surprised if the tree stays standing with the weight of them. There should also have been a honeysuckle winding through the branches but it didn't do very well and had to come out.
The apricot tree always makes me laugh. When it was alive it used to have lots of blossom on it but we only ever got one fruit on it which the birds ate. Hubby used to play tricks on me and tie apricots from the supermarket onto it to make me think it was actually doing something and he caught me with that trick every year.....lol.

There is just a bit of tidying to do this morning and a bowl of salad to get ready for tea. We are having my favourite feta cheese salad and some roasted Charlotte potatoes with chargrilled peppers and garlic......yummy.

Hubby has just had to nip to the hospital to pick up some tablets ready for when he goes for his biopsy as he will need to take one six hours before the operation so we will be late having our coffee today. I'm ready for mine but I'll be good and wait for him.
This afternoon he has to take Smudge dog to the vets for a check up on his eyes. I have stopped putting the cream in that they gave us as he started getting the green gunk again. He is much better with just the drops. His little eyes are beautifully bright and clear with just the odd bit of gunk now and again.

Right I shall go and grab a duster and have a flip round with that then shove the hoover round and I will be free to carry on sewing until tea time....yay.

Hope your weather is a bit drier than ours today.
Sheila-x-


 

Done At Last!!!

The finished quilt top

The peony yesterday

So chuffed to have finished the quilt top yesterday. All that needs to be done now is the layering, quilting and binding.
It's not a scrappy quilt in the true sense of the word I don't think but I am happy with it and DD loves it.

Had to catch a photo of the peony before all this rain ruins it. It's just beautiful and I am hoping that next year it will have lots more flowers that I can cut to bring indoors.

Delicious smells coming from the kitchen this morning. Homemade onion sauce and mint sauce and lamb just starting to cook. It's making my tummy rumble. Mind you I could just sit and eat the bowl of onion sauce smothered in mint sauce. I love both...a lot.

We didn't get much done in the garden. Hubby just managed to get the front and back lawns cut before it started raining yesterday and it looks like it's set for the day today as well so none will get done today either.
Another day of sewing then to prepare the charm pack for the quilt for Marlowe. I am having a go at half square triangles this time. Never done them before so we'll see how they go.

The roast potatoes are due to go in soon so I'll go and sort them out.

Happy Sunday.....hope it's dry for you.
Sheila-x-

.....And The Rains Came!!!

......and boy did it rain.
It started very gently with showers after tea time and then got a bit heavier. In the middle of the night I was considering building a boat....it was thrashing it down very hard but by the time I got up this morning all the paths and the back yard were dry....as if it had never been.
At least the gardens have had a good drink and my brave little peony flower is still standing.

I am determined to finish the quilt top today. I did pin another row on yesterday but I hadn't the energy to get the machine out and start sewing. I couldn't really tell you what I did all day I just felt a bit dozy like I was coming down with a migraine but luckily I didn't. Slept like a log.....apart from being woken by the rain and feel much better this morning.

No housework list this morning as I am pretty much up to date on everything and we are just having a Ploughmans salad for our evening meal.
Sunday lunch will have to be a homemade one this week as we won't be able to get out to the pub. Our main road is being closed off for something called Ironman. I am extremely annoyed that they do this. I am sure they could find alternative routes for this to take place which wouldn't inconvenience hundreds of people.

Moan over....lol......so I will go and wash the breakfast pots, tidy the table and crack on with me sewing.

Hope the rain keeps off for you all.
Sheila-x-

 

She's On Her Way!!!

Not the best of photographs but here is my new peony peeking out and ready to bloom. Please excuse the state of the border and the lawn edges. Hubby will be seeing to the lawn this weekend and DD and I will be tidying up the borders and laying some bark to keep the weeds down.
Up above the peony the old apricot tree is full of flowers from the climbing rose just coming into flower and to the side of that is the buddleia with no sign of flowers yet. I'm hoping I wasn't too vicious when I trimmed it back last year.

Had a lovely hour or so with DDIL and Marlowe yesterday and then half an hour with Marlowe while Ruby was picked up from school. She's a proper little chuckle bunny now.

DD had been working out in the hot sun all day yesterday and was totally wilted when she got home. She walked through the door and said....."get yourself changed Momma......we are going out for tea".
So she treated me to tea at Frankie & Bennys. It was so cool in there I could have stayed all night.
We'll be having the Sweet and Sticky meatballs tonight then.

Today will be a sewing day to finish off the quilt top and then if I have time I just want to have a go at making some cute little mug mats I saw on You Tube. I have to stop watching that channel as I have a saved list of projects I want to try as long as my arm and still keep finding more....lol.

Just waiting for hubby to get back from the hospital before I have a coffee. He will be in and back out again rather quickly but hopefully he will have time for a drink.

It's a bit dull here today but still very warm. There is not a sign of a breeze so I think the throw I have just washed will go in the dryer as I want to change my winter duvet for a lighter throw now as I am too warm at night to sleep well.

Anyway....hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I've not seen the weather forecast but you can bet your bottom dollar that as we are planning to be out in the garden there will be rain at some point...lol.
Sheila-x-

Peony Envy!!!

I love peonies. Of all flowers they are my most favourite and I do have some in my garden One very old one which isn't doing so well this year and one new one planted last year that has one very precious bud on it that I am stalking while I wait for it to open.
I think the old one will be dug up and replaced with another new one. So I am very envious when I see pics of peoples gardens with beautiful bushes covered in flowers.

It's another glorious day here....if you like that kind of thing...lol....and this mad woman has to have the oven on shortly to feed the hubby and then I have to bake a cake as my DDIL is visiting later with the beautiful Marlowe so I can get some cuddles in. I got a quick one last night when we dropped Ruby off. She is a very smiley, giggly baby and so flippin' cute that I never want to leave when I see her.

I made hubby phone the hospital this morning to find out what kind of appointment he actually has tomorrow and it is just a pre biopsy assessment so he won't be there all day. That will be next time. He will have to go on to work afterwards as they are only allowed four hours for a hospital appointment.

Tea today will be Sweet and Sticky Meatball Skewers with a side salad so that should be nice and tasty.
All this salad is doing me a power of good. I have dropped half a stone in a couple of weeks. If I can drop another stone before my next checkup at the docs I might get a good girl badge...lol.

Rightio....I'll go and feed the hubby before he goes and then get the cake baked so I can turn the oven off as soon as possible.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

....And So It Begins!!!

As you all know by now.....I am not a huge fan of summer. I don't cope very well in the heat and I don't like sitting out in it. It was very hot here last night so I have woken up this morning feeling like I have been drugged.
It's not sunny today so far but the heat is there. If the cloud stays I will be able to take Ruby to the little park on our estate for a tea time picnic if not it will be a carpet picnic with all the doors and windows thrown open as there is absolutely no shade at all on the park.

Yesterday after getting a couple of small jobs done I worked some more on the quilt top and added another two strips of seven 8 x 8 squares. Just three more to go which probably won't get done until Friday now which will take my mind a little off hubby being at the hospital. We are not sure if the biopsy is taking place then or not as there was very little information in the letter he was sent.

More salad for tea today. I could do with T's deliveries being diverted straight to my fridge. We are getting through so much both for evening meals and pack ups and fruit is costing me a fortune as both hubby and DD like to take a box of fresh fruit all cut up and ready to eat. Pineapple is a favourite and thank goodness I bought the pineapple corer tool thingy.....it's fabulous and saves my hands getting sore.

Just got to feed hubby and wash his pots up, have a quick flick round with a duster and then I am going to watch Sewing Bee and wait for my little Doodle to arrive after school. When we take her home we need to drop by the supermarket and pick up yet more salad and fruit and squash for hubby who drinks it by the jugful through the summer.

Hope the weather is just how you like it where you are.
Sheila-x-

 



 

Mad Dogs And All That!!!

Griddled chicken

Mincemeat cakes

It was so hot yesterday that I nearly gave in and did a cheese salad for tea but I had promised DD chicken so I cranked up the griddle and made garlic and honey chicken.....boy it was good. There was enough for tea and leftovers for pack ups. 
I also had the oven on to bake some mincemeat cakes to use up one of the jars I had in the cupboard using THIS recipe. They are really good. Moist and tasty. If you try them and bake them in muffin cases they only take 20 mins in the oven.
Good use was made of the cooling spray while all this was going on....lol.

I was a bit too hot to be bothered with sewing once my jobs were done so I got a cool drink and sat down to design some Christmas cushion covers to use up some fabric I have left over from the quilts I made last year. I may need a couple of fat quarters to complete the set of four I plan to make and luckily the local fabric shop does have some of the fabric left.

It feels a little cooler today thank goodness but there are no major jobs on my list. Once hubby is fed at lunchtime I may well get the sewing machine out and get this quilt top finished.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-
 

Too Hot To Trot!!!

Thank you for all your comments on my last post.

Yesterday I woke up and thought we'd gone back to January. Today I was hot and bothered before I even got up. Honestly.....no wonder our colds are still hanging about.
I am keeping myself prepared for any eventuality and have a hot water bottle and a cooling spray on standby.

Not a lot on the job list this morning just the usual tidy up, feed hubby before he goes to work, griddle some chicken to have cold for tea with salad, bake some baguettes and a cake then the rest of the day is my own until I have to serve up tea. I also need to nip to T's tonight to stock up on salad as I am running low. We are eating quite a lot of it at the moment and will do for some time now....if I have my way.

I was hoping to have Doodle this weekend coming but they are off down to London and doing something the weekend after so I won't get to have her until the last weekend of June. I'll only see her for a couple of hours each Wednesday until then so we will have to make the most of that.

I'm just debating whether or not to take down the dining room curtains and put them in the wash or should I leave it until tomorrow. Decisions, decisions.......what an exciting life I do lead....lol.

Hope the weather is good where you are.
Sheila-x-

Is It June Or January?!!!

It is so cold here this morning that my goosebumps have got goosebumps and I am just about to go and find my cardigan and put my warm slippers on. There was a bit of sunshine yesterday but today is grey and murky so far. Perhaps it will cheer up later.

We'll be having a late lunch today as DD is at work until 3pm so hubby and I are having a lazy morning with coffee and the papers until it's time to start prepping veg.
We are having roast pork loin today with all the trimmings so we are looking forward to that.

Two more rows have been put together for the quilt. Three more to go and I will have me a quilt top ready for layering. There has been a change of plan with regards to who will be getting it. DD has fallen in love with it so she will get it and I will search for some funky Christmas fabric to make one for DS and DDIL to go more with their decor. That'll keep me out of mischief.
For the quilt I have planned for Marlowe I needed to have another charm pack so DD fetched that for me yesterday. Any leftovers will be made into a cushion to match for the chair in her room so nothing will go to waste.

Hope you all have a peaceful Sunday.
Sheila-x-

 

A Dose Of Saturday Sciatica!!!

Could have done without this sciatica that started yesterday. It's not as bad as I have had it in the past but still pretty painful when I move in a way that my back or leg don't like.
Gawd I wish I was 21 again. I don't like this getting old thing at all.

Didn't feel much like sewing yesterday so I sat and planned out the quilt I am going to make for Marlowe onto graph paper and coloured it in using my Spectrum Noirs which haven't seen the light of day for some time. It was very therapeutic.

After a few days of drops and cream Smudge dogs eyes are looking amazing and he has cheered up no end.
Hubby is also seeming much better today although he is complaining of a sore up his nose. Nurse Teatowel draws the line at ferreting about up there though so it can just get better on it's own...lol.

All I have on my job list today is a tidy of the dining room and a quick go round with the hoover and then I think I shall spend the rest of the day sewing or cutting the fabric ready for Marlowe's quilt depending on what I feel like. I shall have a good long session today as hubby and DD may be off to the cinema this evening which will let me off sitting in the lounge watching a film that I have seen a hundred times before.......thank you War Craft.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.
Sheila-x-

Nurse Teatowel!!!

I forgot to let you know what happened with Smudge the dog when he went to the vets the other day.
It seems that he has dry eyes and has been given drops and cream to help with that. He will need them for the rest of his life. Drops twice a day and cream once a day so I now start my day by bathing his eyes to get rid of anything that has come out of them over night and then put his drops in. It's not the first time I have nursed him. A few years ago I had to see him through a very traumatic injury when he and hubby were attacked by vicious dogs up in the woods. The vet expected him to lose his leg but I was determined that he wouldn't.....and he didn't.
Keeping his eyes clean and clear is going to be a doddle compared to that.

We have a lot of house martins flying about this week. They look awfully busy. I am sad that we lost our nest when we had the roof line work done. I hope they come back again at some point as we love watching and listening for the babies.

Hubby managed his night at work last night and seems lots better this morning. He wants to go back to the pub we went to last weekend for Sunday lunch to try their evening menu tonight so a no cook day for me today. I just need to clean and tidy ready for the weekend.

I'm not sure when exactly they get back but my Doodle and family will be home this weekend. I missed her so much on Wednesday. I wonder what she spent her holiday pocket money on from Grandad.

Anyhoo I will go and get on with the rest of my jobs now I have had my coffee.

Weather's looking good so I hope you all have a smashing weekend.
Sheila-x-

 

It's Growing!!!

A sneak peek of the Christmas quilt which is growing steadily every day. I am going fairly slowly with it to make sure I get everything lined up properly.....even going so far as to unpick if things are a tiny bit out which is unusual for me as I don't normally have the patience.
It's going to be a lovely size at fifty six inches square.

Well I was going to tackle the stair carpet with The Beast but unfortunately I have a poorly hubby who is tucked up in bed. He, like me has had a constant cold for weeks and weeks and again, like me has just kept going and going until I think he has just run himself into the ground. He is due to go to work tonight after a few days of holiday leave but I don't know if he will go or not. I'll advise him not to go but he is very stubborn.
So instead I think I will have a sort out in the kitchen which is looking a bit untidy and get it ready for a baking session either tomorrow or Saturday. I haven't baked for weeks with not feeling great myself and DD did hint last night that she is missing her lunchtime treats. I did suggest that she was welcome to use the oven and do some baking herself but the look I got should have burnt me to ashes.....lol.

Hubby wanted hot dogs for tea tonight so that is what we are having although I might just have a cold sausage sliced up with some salad and a crusty roll which appeals more today as I think it's going to be warmer than the last couple of days.

Right.......coffee and a read of the papers and then it's on with the Marigolds.

Thanks for your visit today.
Sheila-x-

My Beast!!!

I am officially in love with my beast of a carpet cleaner.
For a trial run yesterday I just did the lounge carpet and it did a beautiful job. The carpet is clean, smells fresh and was almost dry when I'd finished which is something I had not had with my previous cleaner so I was very impressed with that.
Today I will tackle the carpet up at the dining end of the kitchen and see how it copes with that.

Poor Smudge the dog has had to go to the vets this morning as he has an ongoing problem with his eyes. They keep filming over with horrible thick green gunk and the eye cream the vet prescribed is doing no good at all. I have to keep bathing them with warm water and he doesn't like it so hubby has taken him to see if there is anything else we can try. He will need lots of cuddles when he gets back as he gets very distressed when he visits the vets.

No visit from my Miss Doodle today as she is away in France having a wonderful time. They go in a group with friends and they are staying in the most beautiful gite. I just hope they are having good weather and not having any problems getting fuel for their car.

No major cooking to do today as I have some things that want using up so a Feta and spinach salad with some sweet potato wedges.

Hoping to finish the quilt top today. Just the 8 inch blocks to sew together now and I think there is enough batting left to be able to layer and quilt it. I have enough 4.5 x 2.5 pieces left to make a cushion to go with it and that will be a Christmas present done and dusted for DS and DDIL.

The weather doesn't look up to much today. Dull and dreary. No rain at the moment but there is some lurking about up there I do believe.

Okey dokey.....I am ready for my coffee and then once hubby gets back with more supplies of carpet shampoo I shall be up and scrubbing.

Thanks for dropping by today.
Sheila-x-