The Last Day!!!

Well....today is the last day of February....that went so quickly that I feel like I blinked and missed it.
Today is also the day that we will have our very last coal fire....ever.
I have to admit to being a little bit sorry to see the back of it. We have had many cosy winter evenings snuggled up in front of it spending happy family time together. 
We will eventually have a woodburner but we need to recover from the expense of the changeover before we think about that.
So the oil has been delivered this morning and the boiler is just being fitted today and then the plumber will start some of the pipe work that needs doing inside. Tomorrow we change over to our new heating system and that will be another big job done off the list. That will leave the woodburner and some alterations in the bathroom to be done this year.

Tea tonight will be spicy pork 'n' beans with sweet potato jackets. We only had it a couple of weeks ago but we really fancy it again.

Andy has just gone out to have a filling done at the dentist so I'll hold off on me coffee until he comes back and then we can have one while we read the papers.

It's pretty cold here today. Dry but there is a lot of cloud gathering so I expect it will rain before long.

Hope you are all having a good day.
Sheila-x-

Bucketing Stair Rods!!!

The weather here this morning is atrocious....rain so heavy that it is bouncing back up as it hits the ground and our poor plumber is having to work out in it to get the tank ready for the oil delivery tomorrow....bless him.
I will keep him supplied with hot drinks but I'm sure this will be one day when he will be glad to get done and go home.

Until the weather improves there is no sense in planning to do anything nice in the garden but this morning Andy has gone off to purchase the paint ready for getting our two wooden sheds and step rails painted. We have chosen Cuprinol Garden Shades in Coastal Mist....blue enough for him to be happy as blue is his favourite colour....but soft enough to make me happy too.....although I would have preferred a sage green.

Today I am going to give the kitchen carpet another going over with the beast and then go and hoover the staircases and landings before sorting out more stuff from the attic. DD bought down several bags of my craft stuff yesterday and it needs sorting into piles for chucking out, storing and charity shop donations.
That will be another job done ready for getting my house back to normal after the work is finished.

Much excitement here today with the start of the new season of Broadchurch. Roll on 9pm.

Hope you all have better weather than we have here.
Sheila-x-

 

A Not Slow And Lazy Sunday!!!

I love Sunday as you know but today is not going to be one of those long, slow and lazy days and I hate it already.
It started to go down hill when I got downstairs this morning and found Smudge had pee'd on the kitchen carpet so now I have to run the beast over to clean it which was not on my job list for today.

It's dry out so the food stores can be fetched up from the shed and put back on the shelves.

There is laundry to do which I don't usually do on a Sunday but Andy wants his work clothes washed and dried today....even though he isn't at work until Wednesday night....bladdy nuisance.

There is a piece of beef roasting for lunch and all the veg prep is done. Batter is made for the Yorkshires.

Meanwhile the whole house feels like the Wreck of the Hesperus but filthy as well....which is making me feel angsty.
I don't expect there to be any relaxation going on until it's time for Call The Midwife.

This will not go down as one of my most favourite days ever but I'll see if any time can be squeezed out of the week to get back to me sewing.

Well I am off to put some roasties in to start cooking.

Hope your Sunday is a little more peaceful.
Sheila-x-

Wet....Which Is No Surprise!!!

We were hoping for a dry day today so that we could retrieve my food stores from the moved shed back onto the shelves in one of the brick sheds but as it is raining that isn't happening.
Half of the journey is through thick mud some of which will end up trudged into the house so I am not even going there.
I am so tired of muck and mess at the minute and can't wait until everything is sorted out and I can have a really good clean up and get my house running as it should.

Putting the cart before the horse....because the garden is in no fit state to have anything nice done to it at the moment....DD wanted to go to the garden centre to look at arches. We'd like one to go over the back gate to train a rose up now that the apricot tree is all but gone. We saw a lovely wooden one but didn't buy it yet.
All we came away with was an iron cleaning stick for me so they didn't make a fortune out of us today.

Started on the quilt for Smudge yesterday but I need to unpick a row of squares where one didn't quite match up too well. I want it to be perfect for my little boy....or as near as it can be anyway.

We are all absolutely shattered so a very lazy tea tonight of ham and pineapple pizza with some coleslaw to be eaten in front of the telly watching a film if we can find one we all agree on.

And that is us at Tea Towel Mansion this wet and windy weekend.
Hope it's a bit finer where you are.
Sheila-x-

Who Needs A Gym?

Well I certainly don't at the moment.
After shifting all the stuff out of the brick sheds yesterday I spent a good part of the evening shifting yet more stuff between the attic and DD's room. Up and down stairs with bags of books and clothes and swapping the mattresses over. We both got a very good workout.
There is still a lot to move but at least she is sleeping up there now.

After the stormy day yesterday we have woken up to calm and sunshine this morning. It's a bit damp round the edges but at least we haven't got that awful wind.
The plumber is here to get the base put in for the tank so that will be a bit more done today.

Poor old Smudge didn't get his quilt as the power went out and I couldn't do any sewing. I wasn't surprised as there is always something going off in our sub station down the road. It only takes a fly sneezing in there to knock something out.

I really wanted to get some laundry done today but there is some kind of contraption (just realised it's a radio which is going to drive me mental) plugged in where my tumble dryer usually goes so that is on the backburner until work is finished out there.
Today will be a tidy up in the kitchen and sewing day then with no cooking apart from grilling some bacon as Andy has asked for BLT's for when he gets in at 7pm so DD and I will have those too.

I'll go and crack on with the day then.
Hope you all have a good day and don't have too much to do clearing up after Doris's visit.
Sheila-x-

 

I Gots Me Some Mojo!!!

Welcome back mojo.....I have missed you so much.

Projects so far.......

The quilts with little matching pillows.

Sleepover in a suitcase.

Ruby loved them and out came all the dolls to be changed into their nightclothes. She had a little game of sleepovers and then was ready for her tomato soup 😃

.......and to come..........

A quilt for Smudge.

The two packs of fabric offcuts were bought last year and not being able to get on with anything in the house yesterday I set to and got the largest squares cut that I could get out of the fabric which was 8"x8" and used little offcuts and a grid to decide how I wanted to place the squares.
This should turn out to be about 30"x30" which will be just big enough for our little fella.

The kitchen is just about back to normal after yesterday and this morning Andy and I have had to empty out the three brick sheds ready for the plumber to come and drill through for the pipes to the oil tank. That should only take an hour and he said he would prepare the base for the tank this afternoon. 
I will be amazed if that gets done as Doris has arrived with a vengeance and we have high winds and horizontal rain mixed with a bit of snow.
The oil has been ordered this morning and will be here next Tuesday ready for changeover on Wednesday and then no more lugging great buckets of coal about....hurray to that 😃

There is really not much I can do today now that the kitchen is tidy so I will get the quilt done for Smudge and then when DD gets home we will go and do some more sorting out for the room changeover after we have had tea.......Andy is treating us to fish and chips tonight as I wasn't organised enough with all the upheaval yesterday to decide what we would have today and so didn't get anything out of the freezer......bad Mrs Tea Towel....lol.

Well I am ready for me coffee before I get the machine out.
Stay safe everybody.
Sheila-x-


 

I'm Not Sure......!!!

......if the workmen will arrive this morning. The weather is foul and doesn't look like it will improve any.
Edited to add that one brave man in a van has just turned up.....and he is going to be working inside.

The wind last night was very scary. I can't see any damage on our property but someone will have some judging by the terrible bangs and crashes going on in the early hours.

The quilts are both finished now so this morning I will just whip up the two pillows I cut out last night and everything will be ready to set up for when Ruby arrives after school. I can't wait to see her little face.

There may also be a little cake baking going on today. I haven't done any for ages so I think a nice Victoria Sponge should please everyone.......actually no......apparently there will be no cake baking going on.....lol. The contents of all of the lower kitchen cupboards are covering the worktops so that Mr Workman can install some pipes.

Looks like today might a bit messy and noisy then so I will get my head down and get my sewing done as I can't get on with anything else.

Hope it's a bit more quiet and peaceful where you are.
Sheila-x-

The Perfect Day!!!

They don't come along too often but yesterday was an absolutely perfect day. Just the right balance of getting house jobs done and having time to work on the quilts while listening to some jollifying music.
So...........

One hand tied quilt....finished and the binding added to the second ready for hand finishing today....hopefully.....if I don't get too many distractions. 
There could be many distractions as Andy is home and outside putting up a handrail along the side of the garden steps where the shed used to provide a barrier to the drop on that side. I will most likely be called many times to hold things and check that things are straight and I will be called upon to keep him stoked up with coffee......aaaaand right now I will be calling him in as it has started raining....doesn't it always?

Tea tonight will be the crunchy tuna salad that DD and I didn't have last night because she said that as we had to go out and do a top up shop she might as well treat me to tea out and very nice it was too.
As it is quite cold I might do a small jacket potato with the salad.

Tomorrow we will have workmen here getting the area for the oil tank ready. I need to start looking at oil prices ready for when it has to be filled up but I'll go and see a couple of neighbours who have oil to see who they use first.

Well he won't come in so I had better go and make him the first of the many cups of coffee he will be having.....good job it's decaf else gawd knows what we would end up with out there....lol.

Thanks for dropping by today.
Sheila-x-

 

All Aboard The Merry-Go-Round!!!

Another weekend over and back onto the merry-go-round of the household jobs.
I am very excited because today I will clean the living room and it will stay tidy until at least 9pm......the longest it has stayed tidy for months. Once Andy comes home from work that will be it and it will all have to be done again tomorrow 😒
Shortly there will be a line of washing drying in the breeze as it is quite pleasant out today. Not sunny but at least it is dry.

The shed got moved yesterday...thank goodness... so Andy and I won't have to dismantle and rebuild it. It's looking a little tatty now it has been pulled out so I have broached the subject of painting it a nice bright colour when the weather is better in the spring. Some nice paving slabs between the shed and the oil tank will give us a lovely space for the rabbit/guinea pig hutch when we get them for Ruby and that side of the garden should start to look quite smart although we still have the seriously revolting lawn to contend with and there may have to be a conversation about doing away with it altogether.

I haven't the faintest idea what DD and I will be having for our meal tonight. Andy has already been fed so I am thinking maybe a nice crunchy tuna salad with peppers, red onion and sweetcorn on a bed of lettuce but I will have to wait and see what DD will fancy.

I won't be lighting a fire today as it has been rather warm for the last couple of nights. We will need to use up what is left of the coal before the oil heating kicks in though so that we can get rid of the coal bunker.

Right hubby is off to work....the music is going on and I am off to do me jobs.

Have a great day.
Sheila-x-

The Sounds Of Spring!!!

The weather yesterday was nice enough to bring neighbours out into their gardens to start getting ready for the spring ahead.
It was lovely to hear the sounds of people being busy after all the weeks of watching them just scurrying from the car to the house door.
Lawns were being mown. logs were being split and cars were being washed. All signs that our little corner of the world is coming slowly back to life after what seems like a long grey few months.
Today we are expecting Andy's friend to arrive with his forklift to help move the shed down to the bottom of the garden now that it is emptied out. If he forgets to turn up then Andy and I will dismantle it and rebuild it on Tuesday when he is at home.

Today I have binding to sew on one little quilt and then I need to get the other one done which I am going to do in a different style....hand tied rather than machine quilted. I like a bit of variety in my sewing....lol.

First I need to put the pork in to start cooking for lunch....late again as DD is at work. She'll be glad when it is Friday next week for sure although we have a very busy weekend lined up next weekend as she has asked if she can swap her bedroom up to the attic so she has a bit more space. I'm up for it but there will be a lot of shifting to do. I may ask if we can go out for our meal next Sunday.

Well that's about it from me today. Weekends here aren't very exciting....but they are our kind of weekends and we love them.

Hope you are all having a lovely day today.
Sheila-x-

Here We Go Again!!!

Can you remember the saga of the scaffolding that kept us prisoner in the house last year? Well here we go again but this time it is a stonking great boiler dropped just outside the back door. In fairness they did check to make sure we could actually open the door and we can so it's not quite as bad.
There is also a very large green tank plonked on the lawn. Much bigger than I expected it to be. I'm thinking I could turn it into a sewing room....lol.
So....now we just have to wait for the work to start.

I can't remember if I told you that DD is taking me to the Sewing For Pleasure/Hobbycrafts show at the NEC as part of my birthday present. Well this morning I have been having a browse through the exhibitors in the sewing area and to say I am now as excited as a child going to the seaside would be a bit of an understatement.
When I used to go there for cardmaking materials and equipment I would know what I wanted and have the budget in place to spend. We would be in at opening time and gone before lunch....I think we will be staying much longer this time.
Bring it on. It's so long since I have had something so nice to look forward to.

Once this post is done I am going to be switching the laptop off and the sewing machine is coming out. I have faffed about enough this week and now it's time to get some serious sewing started.
Everywhere is tidy so the only other thing I will be doing is tea which will be homemade fish in beer batter to serve with some homemade chips and mushy peas which is a request from Andy. I may have salad with my fish.

The sun is trying to shine here so I hope it is for you too.
Happy Weekend.
Sheila-x-

Just Another Tea Towel Mansion Friday!!!

I have just noticed that I have a couple of new followers.
You are very welcome.....the kettle is nearly always on but at the moment the biscuit tin is empty....sorry about that....lol.

There was going to be a bit of wandering in the little town this morning but we are having to wait in for the delivery of the oil tank and boiler so meanwhile Andy is sorting out in the sheds and I ...as always....am tidying and pottering inside as he says he can manage by himself. I think it's probably a case of self preservation for his ears as there are some blooming great spiders in them there sheds which give me a fit of the screaming heebie jeebies.

Last night I sorted all the new fabric and all my other fabrics into the new drawer set and some smaller storage boxes so that now all of my stash is accessible without having to do to much digging around in huge boxes.
Today I am sorting out on top of the cabinets and putting stuff away that I don't use all the time. I can't settle to any sewing until the delivery is done so this will be a good use of my time until I can hunker down this afternoon.

Just a simple tea tonight. I have some enormous baking potatoes that need using up so cheese and beanie jackets are on the menu today and we will be complete slobs and eat them in front of the tv as DD is watching Broadchurch again ready for when the new series starts at the end of the month. She likes to really know the characters. No hardship for me as I get to ogle David Tennant again....lol.

DD will be at work again this weekend covering for someone off sick so I won't be able to get on with the jobs I had planned for upstairs which involve a bit of furniture shifting and cobweb removal. That will have to wait until next weekend if she has the energy because by then she will have worked three weeks in a row with only one day off.

The kettle is going on now.....Andy looks like he is flagging a bit so I'll make him a coffee before I run the hoover over everywhere and then get on with this tidying.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.
Sheila-x-

 

 

A Little Bag Of Sunshine!!!

There was no visit from the postman yesterday....which could have been because the parcel of fabric was sent by Hermes....lol.
It arrived this morning and just look at this gorgeous array of colours........

I just love spotty fabric.

Useful plains for bindings.

I ordered colours that will go with fabric I already have. The spots will be a nice blender as most of the fat quarter packs I have are florals which would look a bit too busy. I just need to track down a spotty in orange and a plain and spot in lemon and I will be sorted. I don't exactly know what I will be making but at least I now have them for when I want to do something. I can't just pop out to the quilting shop now that it has closed down.

I was a bit miffed not to get any sewing done yesterday.
Andy had some financial stuff he needed me to get done on the computer and then something leaked under the sink and that had to be cleaned up after which he was up and it was time to get tea ready......and I won't have much time today as it is Doodle Day and I have veg prep and things to get ready for tea and I need to tidy away things like my sharp scissors and pins etc....I don't want any accidents on my watch thank you very much 😃

It's a pretty nice day here....sunshine and a good stiff breeze but also lots of cloud which looks like it might be full of rain for later. Meanwhile I have the windows and back door thrown open to get some fresh air in....it's amazing how good that makes you feel after being almost hermetically sealed in for weeks.

Right I am off to make a coffee before I read all the new blog posts today.
Hope you have sunshine where you are.
Sheila-x-

A No Doodle Doodle Day!!!

We call Wednesday Doodle Day as our gorgeous Ruby Doodle comes for tea after school but today there will be no Doodle as the Doodle family are off out for the day. She will come tomorrow instead so I just have to wait an extra day for my hugs and kisses.

I don't know what I did to myself while I was asleep last night but I have woken up feeling like my arms and legs have been unscrewed and put back on the wrong way. 
Never mind....not much to do today except a bit of pottering about to tidy up and tea is chicken and salad so no major kitchen duties.
Once Andy has gone for his afternoon nap to get himself ready for his night shift I will get the machine out and quilt the little quilts.

I could do with having a wander round the charity shops in the little town as I am in need of some new books. Everything on my bookshelves has been read and while I am not averse to re-reading favourites I really would like to have something new. I am almost finished with The Shell Seekers so it will have to be soon. I might see if Andy fancies a wander when he gets up tomorrow.

There was a bit of a dent put in the savings this morning when we transferred the money to the plumber for the oil tank and boiler. It sure made us wince....lol.....but it will be worth every penny once the job is done.

Well I'll go and make a start on this pottering....while keeping an eye open for the postman who may be delivering a parcel of fabric although I think I might need a coffee first to get me going...lol.

Hope you all have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today Andy and I will exchange cards. There will be no huge bouquet, no big heart balloon and certainly none of the ridiculous gifts that abound in the shops.
My home and my heart are filled with love all year round......well except for when he is in the doghouse.....lol.
I have splashed out 89p on a pack of shitake mushrooms and will be making a special tea of braised pork fillet in a mushroom sauce...the chilli has been shufted over again.

Not quite tropical outside but it is dry and bright so when Andy gets up after his night shift he will be making a start on the bottom shed. He needs to take the garden furniture out to make space for all of the gubbins in his tool shed which will then be moved to the other end of the garden.
The oil tank and combi boiler should be arriving by the weekend but I am not entirely sure when the actual work is starting.

The quilts are still at the basting stage as I got sidetracked by various things yesterday.....you wouldn't believe how easily I get sidetracked...ha, ha, ha.
I did have to go out last night to do a top up shop for veg, milk and dog food and I also picked up a seven drawer unit for storing my fabric in so that got assembled and the fabric sorted into it. No more humping huge heavy boxes when I need to find something.
When I shop for fabric I am always drawn to patterns rather than plains so there is a distinct lack of plain colours to use as bindings. That was remedied last night and I put in an order for a rainbow of colours that will go with some of the fabrics I have in my stash.

Okey dokey.....I can hear stirrings from upstairs. He will want tea and something to eat so I'll go and get him sorted out.....see....distractions, distractions, distractions....lol.

Have a happy day.
Sheila-x-




 

What A Noisy Night!!!

I have spent the night tossing and turning thanks to a very noisy wind whistling round corners and moaning in the chimney. I ended up coming down to sleep on the sofa and eventually managed to get a couple of hours.

One quilt is cut layered and basted ready to be quilted and one is cut and layered. I think I'll get that basted too before I get the machine out. I've decided against using the tiny floral for a binding so need to go through my fabric stash to see what I have that can be used instead. Hoping to get at least one of them finished by Wednesday for Ruby to see.

We are just waiting for the plumber to come and do the measuring up for the conversion. He should have been here at 9:30.

As we have had quite a lazy snuggled up weekend there are jobs waiting to be done. I've ticked one off the list already and done the tidying and hoovering in the lounge. Andy has cleaned out the fireplace and relaid the fire for tonight. My next job is to sort and start on the laundry and if the wind keeps up I may be able to get some dried outside. It will need double pegging though.

I had planned to make chilli for tea tonight but guess who forgot to take the minced beef out......yes that would be me...so a change of plan to something with chips and the chilli is shufted over to tomorrow.

Ah ha.....the plumber has arrived at last so I will go and offer coffee.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

Sew Sew Sunday!!!

Yet another foul day outside. Today we have rain and wind and neither Andy or I feel like braving it to do the sheds.
Apparently Tuesday is going to feel positively tropical after this weekend of cold and luckily Andy will be at home so it can wait until then.

I didn't get started on any sewing yesterday as I was knocked sideways by some very bad stomach pains and other symptoms which you don't really want to know about. I'm putting it down to the salad I ate on Friday.

So today Andy is cooking our late lunch of roast chicken and I have this out on the table ready for doing some cutting and layering later this afternoon............

I was thrilled to find this patchwork fabric in Dunelm as it means I can make little quilts that look like patchwork without having to sew tiny squares together.....which I would have done but hey....I'm all for saving a bit of time. 
The fabric under the scissors is for the backing, binding and pillows.
The scissors are the new ones I bought the other day and they had better be good. I do already have a pair of fabric scissors but I find they don't grip the material and are very awkward and slippy to use and make my hands ache. These have one slightly serrated edge which will hopefully grip the fabric better. I will know later when I have done some cutting.

DD decided to go upstairs and get in some computer time last night so Andy and I started the second series of Atlantis. It's getting better and we quite enjoyed it. No more tonight though as we have Midwife and Good Karma Hospital to watch while we snuggle by the fire.
I've got a feeling I am going to miss that fire when it comes out but we will eventually have a woodburner put in when we have recovered from the cost of the conversion to oil.

I hope you are all keeping warm and cosy on this horrible day.
Sheila-x-

It Ain't Happenin'!!!

There will be no shifting of shed contents going on today....it is absolutely filthy weather out there.
It has snowed over night and a tiny bit settled but now it's just the kind of snow that turns wet as soon as it hits the ground and everywhere is just muddy and mushy.

A bright start to the day with a visit to the very smiley birthday girl for a breakfast of warm croissants, fruit and M&M cookies (chosen by Ruby...lol).

While I was out yesterday I picked up two sets of three small suitcases which are ideal storage for all of Ruby's doll bits and bobs so I am going to sort that all out before I do anything else and then when my hands have warmed up I am going to start on the two little quilts with pillows to match.

We all just wanted a simple quick and easy tea tonight that could be eaten snuggled by the fire so we are having bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches on granary bread. Then I'll do a roast for tomorrow which will make Andy happy.

The fire has been lit already so hopefully it won't be too long before it's all cosy here.
Stay warm and safe all of you.
Sheila-x-

Teasing Weather!!!

This morning we skies that were heavy with the promise of something and tiny little snowflakes fluttering around.
Now we have blue skies and bright sunshine. I do wish it would make it's mind up.

An unexpected day off for DD today as she will be covering a weekend shift for somebody who has gone off sick so we had a little trip to Dunelm as I needed some new fabric scissors. I also had a browse around the curtains and found quite a few pairs that I liked....and a browse around the fabric made me ooooh and aaaaah quite a bit although I thought they had an extraordinary amount of PVC for some reason. Rolls and rolls of it. They also do quite a bit of cotton for crafting and patchwork at £5 a metre so I bought a metre for the doll quilts....it would have been rude not to...lol.

Home now and the fire is lit and there is liver, onions and mushrooms braising on the stove for Andy's evening meal. DD and I are passing on that and having chicken and salad instead which we are really looking forward to.

Tomorrow morning we have an early visit to see our Ruby for a birthday breakfast and then back home to start on emptying and shifting about in the sheds. Not looking forward to that.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.
Sheila-x-

My Happy Little Girl!!

Our little tea party with Ruby last night was just such a special couple of hours.
Tea was very simple....just her favourite sandwiches with some carrot sticks and crisps but all laid on the table in pretty dishes.
A surprise sundae of mint chocolate ice cream with Mars bar sauce and squirty cream followed by a beautiful pink sparkly birthday cake with candles.....I was forgiven for fibbing about the tomato soup....lol.
She was so thrilled with her gifts. Besides the bed I had bought an outfit with pyjamas, slippers and a teddy bear and another one of a onesie. Then there was the new doll to add to the collection.......

 This is Ava......and I so want that hair.

Aunty DD had bought her some items from another favourite collection called Top Model.....books containing body shapes and stickers for you to create outfits.

So all in all a very successful time and one very happy little girl.

Andy has okay'ed the price for the conversion to oil and the plumber will be here next Monday to measure up and hopefully the outside work will start by the end of the week or the following week so I am glad the little bit of snow we got last night didn't amount to anything as we now have a piece of ground we need to level, a base to lay and a shed to empty and move from it's current position onto the new base to make way for the oil tank.

I must admit that I hadn't expected things to move so quickly so it may be a little hectic here this weekend.

I'm just about to put some mince and onions on to cook for a cottage pie for our evening meal. It's pretty cold this morning so a good old fashioned rib sticker should go down well today.

After that I will be looking at my fabric stash for the tiny quilts and will maybe make a start on those.

Hope you are all keeping warm today.

Sheila-x-

Dolly Goes To Sleep!!!

I accomplished half of my mission in making the dolls bedclothes and I am pretty happy about that.......so.........

Two sleeping bags and two pillows.
When she is lying down the sleeping bag just comes nicely up to her shoulders and she looks very cosy in there.
Ruby is going to be so chuffed with this.
I used about half a metre....maybe a smidge over....of the flowered fabric at a cost of £1.50 and one of a pair of pillow cases made both backings and both pillows at a cost of £1.50 so £3 for the whole lot.
A sleeping bag with a pillow and a couple of accessories in the DesignAFriend range is £10 so a massive saving of £17 as I would have had to buy two.
Next on my list is the two quilts, Two more pillows and covers for the matresses which are currently covered in some revolting microfibre stuff but I will have to start on those tomorrow and they will be done for Ruby's visit next Wednesday.

I now have three hours to tidy up, prepare a birthday tea, sort out some candles for her cake, wrap her other gifts and then set everything out for my gorgeous birthday girl who much to my shock will be 7 years old on Saturday. Where did that time go?

Just taken the phonecall for the quote for the conversion to oil and it isn't quite as much as I thought it would be. Just need Andy to OK it and the plumber says that the work can be done as soon as we like. I am beyond gobsmacked....lol.

Anyhoo....best go and get on with getting this party sorted.

Hope you are all having a smashing day.
Sheila-x-

Today I Will Mostly Be......!!!

.......sewing.
I got the fabric cut for the sleeping bags yesterday but needed to measure the bed with a doll lying on it to decide on a size for the quilts. Got it out of the box and found I had to build it first. By the time that was done it was time for DD to come home and I didn't get the extra couple of hours while she was at the gym as she decided to treat me to tea out as a celebration of my first day at home alone.
The Chicken Penne Pasta at Frankie and Benny's is to die for so I shall be adding that to my list of things to make at home.

Ruby doesn't know it yet but when she comes for tea tomorrow she won't be getting the tomato soup she requested as I am planning a little tea party and gift opening session. Her birthday isn't until Saturday but we won't get to spend much time with her as she is having a pamper party at home with some friends. We'll just pop by on a quick visit for birthday hugs and kisses.

Andy is settling nicely into being back at work. He's very tired when he gets home but that also means he is sleeping better as he is physically tired and not just bored tired.

Right...I am off to locate my stash of wadding, clear the table and get sewing.
Today will be a happy day 😀
Hope yours is too.
Sheila-x-
 

A Day For Being Cosy!!!

Today we have freezing fog and I can't see anything beyond the bottom of our garden.
The temperature is minus four so the fire will be lit a little bit earlier today so that the house is nice and warm for when DD comes in.
I think a nice homemade veg soup for our tea tonight. As Andy won't be here there is no need to bother with meat and potatoes.

Once he is gone off to work I will get the soup on and tidy the kitchen and then I am going to prepare the fabric for the quilts, sleeping bags and pillows so that everything is ready to sew together....today if I have time or tomorrow if not.

Did anyone watch The Good Karma Hospital last night? I thought it was really good.
Although we are halfway through Atlantis we won't watch any more of that until the weekend as Andy is enjoying it with us so tonight DD and I will start on the first two series of Broadchurch. I have seen both but DD hasn't so we want to get it watched before series three starts.....ooooh a few nights looking at David Tennant....that makes me very happy...lol.

....and on that note....Andy is just about ready for off and I am going to get the soup on so that I can make the most of having the house to myself until 4:30pm plus the extra couple of hours while DD is at the gym once she has been in to change.
I am giddy with excitement...lol.

Hope you're all having a warm and cosy day.
Sheila-x-

High Expectations!!!

I do make myself laugh sometimes at my unreasonably high expectations of myself.
I have ongoing lists of things that need to be done and things I would like to get done and I have added quite a few things to the latter list for this next week.
Now let's just remember that although my two are back at work this week there will be at most twelve hours when I have the house to myself and can really crack on with the jobs with nobody under my feet. I would think looking at the need to be done list that I will need more than twelve hours just for that. So how the heck do I fit in making two tiny dolls quilts, two tiny sleeping bags and four pillows before Wednesday?
Ruby loves to play sleepovers with her dolls so we have bought her the DesignAFriend bed which sleeps two with a pull out bed under the main bed. Trouble is she has four dolls now with the new one we have bought for her birthday so sleeping bags are needed for the two that won't be sleeping in the bed. I must be quite mad but I do like her to have everything she needs to play her little pretend games.

For today I am just using the last of the sliced beef in gravy for a quick Sunday lunch with fresh veg and Yorkshires.
No plans to carry on with Atlantis tonight as there is Call The Midwife and The Good Karma Hospital to watch.....mmm...I may be able to get some cutting out done then before we sit down.

Quite dark and dreary here today but doesn't feel too cold out.There are signs of spring in the garden with bulbs shooting up everywhere but it's still very sludgy and mucky out there.

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

Fully Stocked!!!

DD and I nipped out yesterday afternoon and stocked up on things we were low on. Chicken, fish and veg for the freezer and store cupboard items so now I have everything I need to make meals for a month without having to do a big shop. We will just need fresh veg, bread, milk and maybe some eggs.
Ooooh I foresee a new pair of curtains in my future. I have been looking but can't see any ready mades that I like at all so it looks like I will be fabric hunting instead and making my own.

The plumber finally arrived this morning and our quote will be ready on Monday....again I won't hold my breath. I don't know if it's something in the air but tradesmen around here are so laid back that they are almost horizontal....lol.
He has given us a rough idea of the cost which made my eyes water just a bit but it will be worth it in the end......just the removal of the immersion heater and all the back boiler pipes will make it worth it to me as I will get a large storage cupboard on the landing and a pantry in the kichen.

It's quite a nice blue sky day here today. We are all doing our own thing. DD is still decluttering, Andy has done his jobs he wanted to get done and is now sofa hugging and reading the papers and I am as usual doing housey things....finshing the laundry and then there will be some ironing.
After an evening meal of gammon and salad we will all be snuggling down to watch some more episodes of Atlantis which we started last night. Not the best thing I have ever seen but watchable.

Thanks for all the lovely comments yesterday. I was so glad to know that I'm not the only one who hankers after the old ways...lol.

Hope you are all having a smashing weekend.
Sheila-x-

How We Used To Do It!!!

Image from Google

A picture similar to this came up on my Facebook feed this morning and set me off thinking about laundry as it was done by the generations in my family.
My Grandma had a dolly tub and mangle out in the garage and I well remember standing on a wooden stool to help her with the dollying exactly the way she used to help her Mother.
Everything was dried outside all year long unless it was raining and then it was pegged on lines in the garage and the doors at each end were left open for the draught to blow through. If it didn't dry completely it was then transferred to the clothes horse which had been handmade by my Grandad before being ironed on a beautiful wooden ironing board....again handmade by my Grandad.

The first washing machine I remember my Mother having was an absolute beast of a thing. It had to be connected to the gas by a pipe, filled with cold water and then lit to boil the water. When it was ready to go the clothes were put in and the lid closed and then the washing had to be agitated by hand via a handle on the lid. Once done it was removed into an oval tin bath and taken out to the back yard to go through the mangle.
After doing a morning of laundry the kitchen walls would be dripping in condensation and would have to be wiped down.

My first washing machine was another beast found from goodness knows where by my Grandad and it cost five pounds. A single tub with a mangle attached but luckily it did it's own agitating and the mangle was electric. I was so glad when it gave up the ghost and I got a twin tub in the late 70's. It was second hand and cost about fifteen pounds if I remember right and lasted until 1983 when I went over to the dark side and got a new fangled automatic. Then the washing took all day to get done instead of just a morning.
I wish I still had a twin tub. I used to love the smell on washing day.
I know we do have it a lot easier these days but sometimes I do miss the old ways of doing things. Now you can just shove a load of washing in and go off and leave it but I do miss the sense of order.....washday on a Monday with leftover roast meat or corned beef, mashed potatoes and pickles for tea. Ironing day on a Tuesday with everything put away and no more done until the next Monday. Every job had it's place in the week and try as I might I just can't get into that kind of routine any more.
Ah well....that's progress for you.

We are all busy here this morning. Andy is doing outside jobs....not sure what but at least he is occupied. DD is cleaning her room and decluttering and I am doing laundry and making a meal plan from the freezer inventory. We have more than enough meat to last until the end of the month although I could do with some more chicken and a stock up on frozen veg. Next week I want to get in the kitchen and make up some sauces to go with some of the meats which will go into the freezer for quick and easy meals so I need to stock up on things like tinned tomatoes and puree to make some tomato based sauces. I am aiming for a well ordered freezer so that I can have a better turnover in everything.

Well I have bored you for long enough so I will go and crack on. The plumber is expected today (still not holding my breath) so I'll run the hoover over first....and maybe have a cup of coffee...lol.

Have a lovely day y'all.
Sheila-x-

Ooooh We Are Naughty!!!

DD and I have been waiting since October to watch the latest season of Rizzoli & Isles. With Andy back at work on Monday night we were able to start watching it.......and we finished it at 3am this morning. It was brilliant, ended on a cliffhanger and now we have to wait until October to see what happened when the next and last season are available on dvd.
I had a couple of things I wanted to do after we finished watching and finally went to sleep at about 5am on the sofa. I had the best night of sleep I have had for ages.

Not much going on here today apart from a bit of tidying up. I'm not having to cook as DD and I are going down to watch Ruby and Marlowe at teatime and DS is cooking a spag bol for us all. Andy will just get himself whatever he fancies.
DDIL is having a fabulous day in London with her sister and DS has to go out to a work training session.....on his day off the poor fella.

Smudge seems to be responding very well to the medication he is taking and is much brighter and bouncier bless him.

The promised wind is starting to get up. The old apricot tree is swaying rather alarmingly but the new fence panels look pretty solid thank goodness.

......and that is Tea Towel Mansion today....nothing too exciting but I can live with that...lol.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Just A Normal Wednesday!!!

It's still cold and very damp here and poor old DD is quite miffed that she can't get out in the garden. She has taken herself off out to shop for Ruby's birthday present instead.
I won't be going out until we take Ruby home after tea tonight so I'll be doing a freezer inventory to see what meat we have and if I can make it last until the end of the month.
Any money saved on the grocery bill will go towards some new curtains for the lounge....either ready mades or fabric for me to make some depending on what I find. I think I would prefer to make some as we have a very wide window that is difficult to get ready mades for and I do actually like making them.

The plumber was supposed to come last week to measure up and give us a quote for our conversion to oil but he didn't make it so now we are expecting him on Friday this week instead. I'll not hold my breath....lol. I would like it done soon if we decide to go ahead as that will save us having to buy another load of coal.

I've just had a lovely hot cuppa and got myself nice and warm and now I have to go digging in the freezers. I should have done it the other way round really shouldn't I....lol.

Hope you are all having the kind of day you want to have.
Sheila-x-