Typical Bank Holiday!!!

It's raining so it must be Bank Holiday Monday.
It's only been spitting most of the day but now it is thrashing down.
The laundry still has to be done as my pair need clean clothes for work so the tumble dryer will have to go on.....and I was doing so well saving money on not using it.

Still no inclination for sewing any projects as such but I have had to mend three pairs of DD's work trousers this morning as the hems had come down. Both legs on all three pairs and it is a job I really do not like doing. Still it's done now and hopefully won't need doing again for a while.....mind you Andy has bought a new pair of work trousers this morning which will need shortening by quite a bit......grrrrrrr!!!

I'm looking forward to having the house to myself for a while tomorrow with Andy back at work after his leave and DD at work. I really need a little time on my own just now.

Anyway I hope the weather hasn't scuppered your plans for today and you have enjoyed the day off.
Sheila-x-

 

Cars, Cars...And More Cars!!!

We either hadn't seen or there hadn't been any advertising for the Family Fun Day at the racecourse in the little town and if we had of known we would have avoided the place like the plague.
The traffic jam went right from the racecourse down to the A50 and a few miles along there too. Getting in and out of T***o was just not going to happen so we veered off and went A**a instead. 
Those poor people stuck in that lot would be lucky to make it the end of the event never mind the start of it and of course our main route home goes past the racecourse..ha....not today matey.....we went the long way round.

I cooked a whole chicken yesterday to have cold with salad and new potatoes today so that the kitchen wouldn't be like a blast furnace while I cooked a roast dinner and I must admit it was very, very nice. Even Andy enjoyed it to my surprise.

He has been very busy these last few days as he has been on leave from work to use up some hours before he loses them so he has stripped and revarnished the old fire surround and sanded and varnished my £5 bargain coffee table. I love the fire surround but am not totally in love with the coffee table. Still the varnish was a bargain from B&Q's clearance bin at £2 per tin. He has used both tins but I think £4 for a makeover is not too bad at all.

Since losing Maggie I have had no inclination to sew or do any other type of crafting so I have been watching episodes of a home makeover programme on You Tube called Fixer Upper. Jojo who dresses the houses after the remodels is amazing and her style is definitely right up my alley. I am now planning a piece of wall art similar to one seen on the programme for over the sofa in the lounge involving a leftover piece of picket fencing, paint, decoupage and a clock. As soon as I feel able I will make a start on it.

I hope you are all enjoying your Bank Holiday weekend and haven't spent any of it stuck in traffic jams.
Sheila-x-

Healing Music!!!

My Maggie was very 'new age' and spiritual......everything I am not but we did have one thing in common and that was our love of New World music and in particular we both liked Medwyn Goodall.
This piece of music and the accompanying pictures sum her up so well.........enjoy.

 Eyes Of Heaven

Sheila-x-

Just A Little!!!

For the past week I have just been stumbling from day to day doing what I had to do and no more. Not wanting to see or speak to anybody and bursting into tears at the slightest thing.
Losing my Sister just has to be the shittiest thing ever but today I have put my head up out of the mire of misery for a couple of hours.
Andy said I needed to get out and get some fresh air so he took me to the garden centre for a gentle stroll around then on to the pub for a refreshing glass of lemonade and I do feel a little better for it I really do.
Maggies funeral has been set for June 7th which seems an awfully long wait to me. I am not sure if this is normal or not.

The plague of little black flies we get every year outside the back door has descended yet again meaning that even in this heat we can't have the back door or windows open without them filling the house. I wish I knew how to get rid of them.....they make me itch just thinking about them.
Two really hot days is enough of a summer for me.....roll on winter.

I hope you are all managing to stay cool.
Sheila-x-

Evil Bast***s!!!

My heart is aching for all the innocent people caught up in the horrific attack in Manchester 💔💔💔
Sheila-x-

Slow Days!!!

Since Wednesday I have been on another planet. My head is full of fog and my limbs feel like they are dragging through treacle.
I just want to lay down and never do anything ever again.
I know it will pass but at the moment everything is so raw and painful.

Tomorrow Maggie's amazing children will begin the preparations for the funeral. It is going to be a celebration of a life in colour and sound for Maggie who was as colourful as they come.
I really can't wait for it to be over.
Sheila-x-

Maggie!!!

My darling Maggie💔

Thank you all so much for your kind and comforting words on the loss of my beautiful sister.
Love Sheila-x-

A Request!!! Updated

Dear readers
Yesterday I received the devastating news that my dear sister Maggie collapsed with a brain hemorrhage and has been given 48 hours to live.
If you could spare some prayers or healing thoughts please could you send them to her.
She is a strong, feisty girl and I am hoping that she can prove them wrong but she may need a little help on this one.
Thank you so much.
Sheila-x- 

Just to let you know that Maggie lost her fight and and her life support was turned off at 20:35pm tonight.

RIP

Maggie Newman

05.04.1960-17.05.2017

You will be missed so much.

Fly high beautiful lady.

Alien Invasion!!!

I woke this morning to find that I had been invaded by aliens from the planet Domesticus and had strange urges for doing domestic goddess type things. What is that all about.....I never, ever wake up wanting to do housework....lol.
So....hoovering done (very quickly so as not to wake Andy), last of the laundry done, dried and put away, a roast chicken dinner is prepped, fridge has been tidied and wiped out and kitchen floor is mopped. I now have the urge to tidy out the cupboard where I keep all the pickles, chutneys and sauces to check nothing is out of date and see if we need top ups on anything.
I do hope they go home tonight.....can't be doing with them hanging round for long....lol.

I have just parked me bum for five minutes to have a coffee and then I'll be back in DG mode until it's time to wave Andy off to work tonight.......after which I will breathe a huge sigh of relief and chuck meself onto the sofa to watch something with DD.

Hope you are all having either a restful day or a busy day...however you want it.
Sheila-x-
 

Brave Little Girl!!!

Marlowe has been visited and I am now quite happy that the head injury she sustained on Saturday will heal and be forgotten in no time.
She has a bump with a cut on it which apparently bled profusely, a small cut under her eye and a bump and a bruise on the side of her head.
When we saw her yesterday she was happily chattering and singing.
I hope to goodness she is not going to take after her accident prone Daddy who must have spent more time at A&E in the first fifteen years of his life than he did at home.

Today is going to be a bit of a mish mash of all sorts with laundry to put away as it comes out of the dryer....no chance of line drying today as it is raining.
We are going to have a treat for tea tonight....egg and chips with some baked beans. Not something we have very often so I am looking forward to that.

I thought you might like to meet......

......Skylar and Ginger.
Ginger is very placid and loves cuddles but Skylar is a little more lively and makes Ruby a little nervous. He was trying to nibble her chin yesterday.

Well DD has just arrived back from The Lake District with a case full of muddy clothes so I will go and add all tat to my laundry pile.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Hugs & Kisses........!!!

.....being sent to DDIL and Marlowe this morning.
DDIL phoned this morning to let us know that she and Marlowe wouldn't be joining us for lunch today as poor Marlowe had a fall yesterday and ended up in A&E. 
She is fine but DDIL is just emotionally and physically shattered and would like some time to just rest but Ruby is coming for a bit of spoiling as she was very, very upset by the accident.
After lunch we will bring her here for some cuddles with the giggly pigs and hopefully we can deliver her home cheered up a little.
I'll go with Andy when he takes her home just so that I can put my mind at rest with regards to Marlowe.

Lots of cuddling and comforting will be going on today so I have no plans to be doing anything in the way of housework or sewing until I am sure that DDIL and my girls are OK.

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

A Very Quiet Saturday!!!

Just me and the old man at home today so it's going to be a pretty quiet day here.
I will be doing girly type house jobs and he will be doing manly type outside jobs which I hope will include mowing the lawns which seem to have gone mad overnight and look very untidy.
My main jobs will be cleaning the lounge and then going up to have a final sort through what is left of the stuff that came down from the attic and is currently cluttering up the sideboard on the landing.
When we are done we are just having a simple tea of cheese, crackers and pickles.

Grandad picked Ruby up from school yesterday and bought her home to meet her guinea pigs. It was love at first sight and she was over the moon with them.
The ginger one has been named Ginger of course and the black one has been named Skylar....because he reminded Ruby of the night sky....bless her.
We didn't handle them too much with it being their first day in their new home and wanting them to settle in but when she comes for tea next week we'll get them out and let her have a cuddling session so that she can get to know them.

Not sure what the weather is going to end up doing today...it could go either way. It's bright with grey clouds at the moment and cold again with a good breeze so I might wash the sofa quilts to freshen them up and hang them out. They can always be finished off in the dryer if it decides to rain.

Hope you are all doing things that make you happy today.
Sheila-x-

New Arrivals!!!

Andy went into town for the papers this morning and came back with two guinea pigs for Ruby....at last.
Oh my word they are cute. One black and one ginger. Two boys as we don't want any shennanigans resulting in babies. As yet un-named as that will be a job for Ruby.
She will be so excited when I ring her later to tell her.

I have woken feeling much better this morning but convinced that it is Saturday. Andy having a night off last night has totally thrown me...lol.

This morning I have to go into the big town for a few things and then call at the craft shop in the garden centre on the way back for thread to hand quilt the worn and washed quilt when it's ready.
I've not been to The Works for ages so I might call in there to see if they have any new sewing or quilting books.
It will be nice to get all these things done so that we don't have to go out tomorrow if we don't want to.

Grey skies and heavy rain here this morning so a snuggly afternoon of sewing is on the cards once we are back from town and then Chinese for tea while we watch Passengers....a new film that DD picked up this week. I have watched it with her but it was so good that I don't mind watching it again with Andy.

So that is what is going on at Tea Towel Mansion today.
Have a lovely day y'all.
Sheila-x-
 

Poor Old Thing!!!

I had a really good night of sleep last night....so why have I woken up feeling like I have been battered and with all of my get up and go gone.
This happens far too often....and I don't like it.
I don't feel ill....just achey and sore in my shoulders, neck and back.
Still.....I'll just soldier on and maybe it will go off as the day goes on.

Ruby was so thrilled with her new skirt and top when I gave them to her last night and I was really amazed that they fit her so well but with room enough to grow so that she doesn't just get to wear them this summer. I am a little bit chuffed with meself...lol.
Today I'll make the other top up that is cut out. Exactly the same but I will add some lace to this one so that it looks a little different.

Leftovers for tea tonight. Savoury mince which I cooked the other day and I'll do some jacket potatoes and steamed carrots with it for a nice tasty meal without too much effort and then it looks like I am in for an easy weekend too. Chinese and a film tomorrow night as Andy and I will be on our own. Not sure what we will be doing Saturday but Sunday we will be going to the pub and meeting DDIL and the girls. I'm so glad they had nothing planned. I love going out for lunch with them.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Andy may have a night off work tonight as he has bought his bag in from the van with his work clothes and towel in to be washed and he doesn't usually bring that in until he has done his last day. I just hope he doesn't want me to sit and watch a film with him as I have plans to sew the strips together for the worn and washed quilt tonight once I have finished the top for Ruby.

Another sunny and breezy day today and I do believe it is getting warmer and warmer as the days go by.....and about time too...I am sick of shivering now.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

It's Good To Be Nosy........!!!

......because if you are not nosy you may miss out on delicious things.....and thanks to Pam......... my nosiness was put into action to find out what an Impossible Quiche was.
A recipe was found and made for tea last night and it got the thumbs up from us all.  Very nice indeed and a keeper in the meal plan for the summer.

I managed to get the pj's recut and finished yesterday so Andy is happy.....just hoping he doesn't ask for more pairs for a little while.
The second crop top for Ruby is next on my list but it won't get done today as I have a few housey type jobs to be doing and by the time they are all finished it will be time for my munchkin to arrive for tea......homemade meatballs in tomato sauce with pasta....unless I change my mind and make burgers...I just can't decide at the moment.

The washing is out and blowing on the line to take advantage of the sunshine we have today. It would normally have stayed in the basket until washday next week but as it is a nice day and there was a full load I could put in I would rather do it and get it on the line.

Andy must haven taken the heavy hint about my being fed up of spending half of Sunday cooking and has told me to book a table at the pub for this week....yay.
DD will be away to The Lake District for the weekend so I am going to see if DDIL and the girls would like to join us if they have nothing planned and then maybe take them on to the park after lunch......weather permitting of course. 

A sneaky coffee and then on with the job list I think.
Hope it's a lovely day where you are.
Sheila-x-

A Very Rare Thing!!!

Not being a driver I don't very often get to go shopping by myself. I always have to wait for either Andy or DD to be available to take me.
Last night though DD was going into the big town to the gym so I hitched a ride and got her to drop me off at M****son's. It was lovely to have a wander round by myself. 
I don't very often shop there but I think I may have to do the same again as I was quite impressed.
No reduced food items but I did save £1.56 over three offers on cheese, fresh tomatoes and brioche rolls.
I also picked up this magazine.......

The pattern was free with it and is one I probably would buy. Looking online it retails for about £8 which more than covers the cost of the magazine and I have a suitable piece of fabric to make it too so I am quite happy about that.

Today will be a pretty quiet day. Andy is sleeping after a night shift so the hoovering and anything else noisy has to wait until he gets up.
Tea tonight will be impossible quiche to use up the last bit of the gammon I cooked for the weekend. I usually make my quiches with a pastry base so I am quite excited to see if we like this having never made one before. I'll serve it with a nice choppy salad and a crusty roll.

I unpicked the clown pyjamas yesterday and will recut them today ready for sewing up again and see how they turn out this time. If they are still horrible the pattern will be going in the bin.

Coffee and papers before I do anything else I think.
Hope it's a bit warmer where you are than it is here.
Sheila-x-

....And Here We Are Again!!!

Good Monday morning.
The start of another new week which will take us halfway through May.
If it would warm up a bit I could probably believe it is actually May. 
I am seriously missing the coal fire at the moment....the warmth and cosiness....not the mess.

Yesterday was lovely.
The not cooking a roast dinner was fab and we all enjoyed the hot pork rolls.
I got one of Ruby's tops finished although it took longer than expected as I had to do a bit of unpicking....twice.....lol.
Today there is a small amount of laundry to finish off and a bit of tidying and hoovering to do and then I can get back to the other top.
I can't wait to give Ruby her new clothes on Wednesday when she comes for tea.

I think I shall need to put some music on this morning and dance round with the hoover to try and get warm.
Hope it's not so cold where you are.
Sheila-x-


 

Putting Me Foot Down!!!

Normally at this time on a Sunday I would be preparing everything for a roast dinner but today I am not.
The foot went down yesterday when Andy asked for a roast beef dinner and I said I was sick of spending half my Sunday every week cooking and especially the weeks when DD has to go into work and we have to have it at tea time.
Today we are having slices of hot roast loin of pork with stuffing and apple sauce in rolls. The pork can be shoved in the oven and pretty much look after itself for a bit.
Ooooh it did feel good to get my own way for once....lol.

I have two crop tops cut out ready for sewing for me Ruby so I hope with this bit of free time to get those done today.
They are both the same fabric but I will make one plain and pretty up the other one with some lace peeking out from the bottom of the hem.
One metre of 60" wide pink broderie anglaise for £5 is making two tops....can't be bad.

I'll also probably make a start on the laundry seeing as how it is sunny and breezy this morning.

I hope the sun is shining for you today.
Sheila-x-

It's A Soggy Kind Of Saturday!!!

Very wet, very cold and thoroughly miserable outside this morning. Poor old DD will be working out in it later on today.

I cooked a small piece of gammon yesterday which we are going to have with salad for tea but salad ingredients are a bit low as we have eaten quite a lot this week so I shall need to nip out and stock up.

Andy is out with Miss Doodle making another attempt to get some guinea pigs. I hope they manage to get her some this week.......just had a phonecall from Andy....no guinea pigs in this week they all went earlier in the week. Ruby is disappointed bless her.

On the sewing front...one maxi skirt finished at last and one pair of PJ's just needing the leg hems doing although I must say that I am a little disappointed at how they have turned out.
The pattern envelope shows nice straight legged pyjama bottoms but the finished object doesn't resemble them in any way, shape or form. I took all his measurements correctly and used the size most suitable. I've used the correct seam allowances and still they look like clown trousers with just so much fabric in the legs that if he went outside on a windy day I swear he would take off. I will make them again but only when I have found a You Tube video on how to alter a trouser pattern to make slimmer legs.
The next project will be a pink broderie anglaise crop top for Ruby which I hope to get cut out today.

We were going to get the garden furniture out this weekend but I think it can stay where it is for now. At least it will save shifting it around for a while when we mow the lawn.

Rightio....I am off to finish me sewing.
Hope you all have a smashing weekend.
Sheila-x-

Sorted!!!

Well that is all of my fabric and other sewing stuff sorted out.
Now all that remains is to try and keep it tidy.....and I will try very hard.

I have 10 boxes of fabric.........

The top box on the on the bottom pic is currently empty but probably won't stay that way for long.

Patterns all organised and easily accessible now.

Offcuts of fabrics for doll clothes, patchwork squares or small projects and my thread cones now all neat and tidy instead of being thrown in a box.

Andy made this for me to enable me to use the larger cones......a piece cut off an old shelf, a piece of broom handle and all prettied up with a bit of decopatch. I added the container recently as the cones just used to stand on the base and I kept knocking them onto the floor.

The three larger drawers of the unit store more fabric which is already earmarked for clothing projects and all my batting, wadding, filling and backing fabric is stored under the dining table in a large box.
Behind me is a whole other mess which I can't get my head around today but it will be sorted soon.

Before I do anything else today I am really ready for some lunch. It's not often I bother with anything but we won't be eating tea until later tonight so I'd better have something to stop the grumbling.

The wind is making it feel pretty chilly here again today so I will also need to go and search for my cardigan.

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

Bloomin' Lovely!!!

Another glorious sunshiney morning but with quite a strong wind again.
We have been out to do our bit at the polling station voting in the local elections. Another month and we'll be doing it all over again.

When we got back the sun was making the garden look particularly pretty so I thought I would show you some of my favourite bits and some of the new things that have been added since the last time I showed garden pics.......

This little corner makes my heart sing. For so long nothing would grow properly there but DD has improved the soil and with the added pots it now looks so pretty.

Granny's Inn.....no vacancies I'm afraid. The bluetits are in residence and have laid eggs.

A beatiful new red thistle. I have had blue ones before but have never seen a red one. I can't wait for this to fill out. It will look stunning.

Onto the front garden and the Scilla is beginning to flower.

I think the plant in the pot is an Allium. The crate is filled with DD's favourite Sedums in various forms.

More Sedums I think and some Thyme in a new planter. I'm not sure what else is in here as I forgot to ask.

I am so thrilled with what DD is doing with the garden. It's looking better than it ever has since we came here just over twenty years ago.

Today I just have a little more fabric to sort out and some Sweet and Sticky Chicken Meatballs to cook for tea and then I am going to be sewing. I will finish Ruby's skirt and then cut out and make a start on Andy's PJ's.....all of which should have been done yesterday but DD had a bit of a senior moment and turned the car for home....forgetting that she was supposed to be going to the gym and then couldn't be bothered to go out again....lol.
Hopefully she will remember today.

Also today I will be going against my own rule of never ironing tea towels and ironing a pile of them just for the simple joy of the smell after they have been line dried.

Have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

.......And Breathe!!!

Oh the relief of having the house to myself at last.
I have about seven hours of pure unadulterated peace to enjoy now that Andy has gone off to work and DD will be gyming until about 7pm.
I feel like I haven't had a minute to myself for weeks and it has been bogging me down as I love a bit of time without anyone to run about after.

So what am I doing with this bit of freedom....well I have put my gorgeous bag from Pam to good use.........

......as a home for some of my quilting rulers. This will now go on the shelf with all of my other quilting rulers and my revolving cutting mat and I will know exactly where they are.
The fabric is just so me Pam so thank you very, very much.

Other things on the agenda today include some super organisation of my fabrics and patterns. Space in the drawers has been made by rehousing my batting, wadding and filling and larger pieces of backing fabric into one box which will be stored under the table in easy reach. Another box will be emptied of patterns which will be re-organised into some small drawers so that I can get to those more easily.
Fat quarters and half metres will be stored by colour in the two other small drawers and one metre lengths and above will be stored in boxes. I have yet to decide what I am doing with offcuts and scraps.
I am having a lot of fun.

Tea today will be something quick and simple....maybe beans on toast and a cuppa before we settle down to watch some more episodes of Rome. The box set arrived yesterday and we have already watched three episodes.
We do love a good box set.

It looks like the bedding I hung out this morning is dry so I'll fetch that in before it flies off across to Derbyshire as the wind seems to be getting windier....lol.

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

Glorious Morning, Grey Afternoon!!!

I'm not a big fan of the phone ringing later on at night as I always think something is wrong. So when ours rang at 9pm my heart jumped straight into my mouth......it was just DS asking if he could pick me up on the way back from the school run to babysit Marlowe for a couple of hours while he went and got his hair cut.
He duly picked me up in glorious sunshine this morning and I spent a fabulous couple of hours giving Marlowe her breakfast and then playing down on the floor with a basket of assorted animals and singing silly songs. She just started getting ready for her morning nap as Daddy returned so she had that while Daddy made me a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea. We managed to eat, drink and have a chinwag and then she was awake again so Daddy made her a picnic lunch and dropped me home on his way to take her to the park for some fresh air.
I hung out the washing and along came the grey clouds. It's still dry at the moment with a good breeze so I am hoping it will dry.

I want to say a huge thank you to Pam at  A New Life In Wales  for the beautiful bag I won in her recent giveaway. Pam it is just gorgeous and I know exactly what I will use it for. I'll have to take a pic later as the camera needs charging but I will post it tomorrow and show you what I will be using it for.

Well I had best go and catch up with some jobs now until Miss Ruby arrives for tea. She has requested tomato soup and DD and I will be having a cheese and pineapple salad so no cooking for me today thank goodness just a general tidy up and hoover round.

If you have some sun could you send it bit back my way please. It's gone really cold now it's clouded over.
Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

No Holiday For Me Then!!!

The early night seems to have helped a little with whatever was wrong yesterday thank goodness. I can't be doing with feeling 'off it' and not knowing what is wrong. I'd rather be ill, know what it is and be able to do something about it or be well.

I had planned a little time for myself to do some sewing today but between preparing stuff for the evening meal and an overflowing laundry basket it looks like that will remain just a plan.
There will be some time out this afternoon for a visit to The Doodle House for tea and cake as we got a surprise invitation this morning so I am looking forward to spending some time with Doodle and Moo....and DDIL of course.

Andy was going to be finishing off painting the stair rails in the garden to match the shed but we had rain earlier and although it has brightened up a bit I am sure we'll get more before the day is out so he's leaving that and sofa hugging instead.

We are all very excited to have bluetits nesting in a little house that hangs from the old apricot tree remains....and there are eggs. The house was only put there as a decoration so I am really pleased that it is being used.

Right well tea is simmering away now so I had best go and sort this laundry. Andy can make the coffee this morning while I do that.

Hope you are all having a lovely day either out and about or at home.
Sheila-x-