Mucking Out On Monday!!!

Today is going to be a busy day once Andy has gone off to work.
DD is on annual leave so at last we are going to have a good sort out of our DVD collection and get rid of as many as we can. They will be bagged up and taken to CEX and exchanged for either cash or....if they have them.....some box sets that we have on our list.
There will also be furniture shifting and by the time we are done I'm sure DD will wish she was back at work....lol.
I hope to be done by tea time so that we can then relax and watch a film.

Ruby's new dress is all cut out and ready to sew and I have also been testing out the overlocker. I think I have the hang of it now so I'm looking forward to nice neat seam finishing on the things I make for the girls.

A good healthy tea of chicken and salad although we could really do with a stew or something.....it is so cold here today with a strong wind.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

The Head Cook Is On Holiday!!!

DD offered to cook today.......she didn't have to ask twice 😁
Roast chicken with all the trimmings....that will do for me.
I guess I will make a start on cutting out Ruby's new dress and there may even be some sewing done.

I know I really shouldn't buy any more fabric but I have decided to go back to Derby in the week and get some of the blender fabrics that were on the stall selling the 100% cottons at £3.99. I'd be daft not to as I doubt I'll ever see them at that price again.

Just have to go and show DD how to make bread sauce and then that will be me done in the kitchen for today.

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

Oh I Am So Bad!!!

OK....so the trip to Derby this morning was supposed to be just for zips and maybe some thread which I did get....but then I came across one of the stalls on the market selling off their 100% cotton fabrics at £3.99 a metre and couldn't resist.
I am so weak....lol......I came away with about seven metres in total. It may just fit in one of the boxes but it will be a tight squeeze.
I had to get DD to drop me off at home and she has gone to do some top up shopping for me as there was a very strong smell of some kind of perfume in the shopping centre which just about knocked me off my feet and gave me a really bad headache. It's easing now thank goodness.
Just a quick and simple tea tonight of BLT's on granary bread which can be eaten while we watch a film or something.

Hope you are having a good weekend despite the rain.
Sheila-x-

Friday!!!

As you can tell by the title of my blog....I am not a huge fan of ironing and I don't do any unless absolutely necessary or at least I don't if things have been tumble dried. I do more when things have been line dried but give me a length of dress or quilting fabric and I will happily iron away all day.
This morning I have ironed the fabric ready for Ruby's dress and I was in heaven.....it beats tea towels any day....lol.

Now that Andy is up I can get the hoovering done and then that is us ready for the weekend.
We are starting off tonight with a meal out and tomorrow a trip out to Derby. Sunday we don't tend to go anywhere much as Andy always wants his home cooked lunch so it will be a quiet day at home with the newspapers and maybe some sewing.
What are you up to this weekend? The weather isn't looking good for the next few days so I doubt we will get out in the garden much.

Right....I will go and crank up the hoover and then I am off for a very decadent afternoon soak in the bath and a change into some PJ's until it's time to get ready to go out.

Hugs
Sheila-x-

So Chuffed!!!

I can't quite believe it but Ruby's dress fit her beautifully. Nice enough to wear on it's own but just loose enough to be able to wear a long sleeved t shirt underneath it on a chilly day. She was thrilled to bits with it and has already chosen the fabric for another one in cream with pink roses so today I will prepare the fabric for that...it needs to be pre-washed and ironed as it was the end of a bolt and very badly creased.

Haven't a clue what I am going to cook for tea tonight. I meant to get some chicken out of the freezer last night and forgot so I might have a rootle around in the veg drawer and see if there is anything I can use to make soup. It's quite chilly here today so I think that would be a good choice.

Feeling a bit better today after a good night of sleep so I am hoping to get lots done.

Have a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

A Nightmare Of A Night!!!

It's been some time since I had a night as horrible as the one I had last night. I couldn't get warm....even with a hot water bottle, I kept hearing strange noises, I was up and down to the bathroom and to top it all when I eventually got to sleep around 4am it was to a very restless sleep full of nightmares.
I felt really drained when I got up but I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself as I have my gorgeous Ruby coming today and need to get some jobs done before she arrives.

Tea today is going to be a right old mish mash of hot nibbly things such as chicken nuggets, mozarella sticks, spring rolls, breaded garlic mushrooms and any other suitable bags of bits I can find in the freezer.
I'll serve them with a big bowl of salad and a few nice dips and it should go down a treat......and clear the freezer a bit at the same time.

I want to try and clear the decks of all major jobs this week as DD breaks up for a week on Friday and I am sure she will be wanting us to go out next week. I could do with a trip to Derby and we'll probably have a day doing Bridgemere Garden Centre and Trentham Gardens which will be a nice day out.
Any spare time I have will be used to start on a new project that includes using my overlocker so that I can try and get to grips with it. A couple of You Tube videos have been watched and I am happier now that I will be able to use it properly.

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

A Finished Project!!!

This morning before I even did any housework I snuck a few minutes to finish the hem on Ruby's dress......

I'm quite pleased with it but there are things I could have done better so I will be making another one once I have tried it on her. I'm a bit worried the armholes are going to be too big though and as the pattern is already cut to size I may have to see if I can get another one for the same dress.
I have learned plenty from making this......one thing being....as good and useful as pattern weights are...this kind of fabric either needs the pattern pinning to it or to use a rotary cutter.
The starch didn't add much stability to the fabric but I will still do it again with this type.
If I'm not happy with something I will unpick it. I wouldn't have done at one time but if I want a decent end result then I must.....and when unpicking to wear my close work glasses...lol.

I don't know yet what my next project will be. Either something from the UFO box or something for Marlowe to wear.

For now I am off to have my cuppa soup and a read of the papers before I do anything else.
Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Just Another Day At Tea Towel Mansion!!!

Life is plodding along quite gently here at the moment. Jobs are getting done and ticked off the list and the search is continuing for just the right wallpaper and curtains for the lounge.
I have set my heart on red and cream checked curtains and can I flippin' find any I like....no 😒 it looks like I may have to bite the bullet....find some fabric and make them which I didn't really want to do.
The wallpaper is just a case of too much choice and not being able to make up my mind.

Just one little fly in the ointment at the moment. Andy has gone down with a really nasty cold and has almost lost his voice. It just came out of nowhere on Saturday evening and he is feeling pretty miserable.

Healthy eating is continuing. I am now below the target I set for myself and and winging my way towards the next target so I am very happy. The only trouble is that clothes are starting to feel and look ridiculously loose so there may have to be a shopping expedition before long. I loathe clothes shopping.

Tea for tonight is all prepared.....chicken breast roasted over peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes, Italian herbs and garlic with roast parmesan potatoes and some veg. It won't need to go into the oven until about 4:30pm so until then I am sewing.....adding the neck and armhole facings to Ruby's dress and then all I have to do is the hem. My stitch ripper has been on turbo with this project but I have learned a lot and will probably find some more fabric out of my stash to make another one.

Not much in the way of sun here today but at least it is dry and reasonably warm.

I hope you are all having a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

A Happy Weekend!!!

It has been so nice to have a bit of sun this weekend.
Andy has been able to finish mowing the lawns and do some tidying in the garden. He's got rid of the old plastic tool shed that was destroyed in a storm and everything is starting to look so much neater. There was rain late afternoon yesterday but it was a nice soft and refreshing rain rather than the stuff that pelts down and just about strips your skin off.
We have sunshine today but lots more cloud which is getting thicker and greyer as the day goes on.

I spent yesterday sewing and the dress is coming along although there has been some unpicking and the zip thing made me swear a bit but it looks OK-ish. I will carry on with it after lunch and as I have no laundry to do tomorrow I can probably get it finished ready for when Ruby comes for tea this next week.

For lunch I have used a tray of the beef we had leftover from the other week and it was just gorgeous with some fresh veg, roast potatoes and freshly made Yorkshire puds and now that it's been eaten and the pots are all washed I am ready for my Sunday afternoon cuppa ☕☕☕

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend too.
Sheila-x-

Just As I Thought.....!!!

.......the dress fabric is proving to be a little tricksy but starching it and lots of pinning seem to be helping things along nicely.
The front is finished, part of the back is done and I am getting near to having to sew in the zip. It is years since I sewed a zip in so wish me luck with that...lol.
I probably won't get any more done today as Andy is off....again!!! He's out at a hospital appointment at the moment so I am getting some tidying up done and having a good clean out in the fridge and seeing what we have before I go and do a shop.
His Nibs is fancying a burger for his tea tonight so that is what he will be getting along with yet another bowl of salad. I'll pass on the burgers and have something else with the salad.

Well that's about it for today. Nothing planned for the weekend. DD has some furniture shifting she wants to do in her room and we may have a shufty up to the garden centre....otherwise it's looking like a quiet weekend.

Have a good one.
Sheila-x-

A Doing Day!!!

The brightness of the sun had me up and ready to get going at a ridiculous hour this morning so I aim to get some more of the windows washed inside and out, give the kitchen floor a good mop and feed Andy something nice before he goes to work.
Once he is gone I will be settling down and making a start on turning this.......

.....into a dress for Ruby.
The pattern took hours to prepare yesterday as there are a lot of pieces. I am making the sleeveless version at the top.
If it all works out nicely this will be an absolute bargain of a dress as the fabric....just under three metres....cost £4 for the lot from The Rag Market last year. It's quite floppy so I might try starching it a little before I start any cutting.

I'll probably whip up a salad to use up what's left in the fridge and find something to go with it for tea today....I quite fancy an omelette.

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

Waiting!!!

No results yet on the latest blood test but they are expected today and my GP has said she will phone if there is anything showing up. I have decided not to spend the day worrying and getting meself all of a frazzle.

I have pulled out a beautiful piece of fabric this morning and found the perfect pattern for a summer dress for Ruby so I think I will make a start on that today. It's a bit...well no actually.....a lot......more complicated than anything I have done before but if I don't rush it I'm sure it will turn out OK.

The beans on toast we were having last night got scooted over to today so I don't have to spend much time in the kitchen today making a mess. It's all nice and tidy in there for the minute so it's good to know it will stay like that for a little longer.

We have sunshine today.....not a lot but at least it's brighter than it has been. I'm still cold though as I have the back door open for Smudge dog and there is a chilly breeze wafting around. The perfect drying day but I have no laundry to hang out.

Hope the sun is shining on you all today.
Sheila-x-

The Stash Is Stashed!!!

Yesterday I spent a little time getting all of my new fabric onto boards ready for storing away.
I am embarrassed to say that all of my boxes are now chock-a-block so there can be no more fabric buying until I have freed up some space.
I'll be spending some time looking through my books and patterns to see what I want to make.

Not a very good start to the day today. I got an early morning call from the surgery to go back and have another blood test as something had shown up on the one I had last week that had never shown up before.
I'm hoping it is just a glitch. I really can't cope with anything else right now.

I'm not sure if Ruby will be here today after school so I am just planning a simple tea of beans on toast for DD and I. If Ruby does arrive she will be very happy with tomato soup as she hasn't had it for ages.
If we have to drop her home tonight I'll nip and do a little top up shop for some veg and milk but if not it can wait until tomorrow and DD and I will have a snuggly evening watching more 24.

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

What A Weekend!!! (Picture Heavy)

You may well want to get a cup of coffee and maybe a snack as today I am sharing my delicious stash from the quilt show.

I have to say that it may have been a small quilt show compared to the likes of The NEC but it was absolutely fantastic and I wish now that I had taken a camera to take photos of some of the awesome quilts in both the competition and on the stalls. If I had a pound for every time I said 'oh how beautiful' I could pretty much have bought up everything there was to buy.
Ruby loved it and didn't want to leave when it was time to go home and she already wants to know if she can come next year. Her joy in everything she saw really made the day very special for me and I am so glad she didn't get bored at all.
Her special task was to find Ganma beautiful Christmas fabric and the girl did very good indeed.
So here we go with the pics.........

Anything to do with Christmas is a must...lol.

I've been wanting the Quilt As You Go book for a while and I would rather like to make a house quilt so these just had to come home with me.

I love Jenny Doan and am considering a subscription to this magazine.

Ruby's little stash....we are going to make her a pin cushion and a little pouch for her scissors with some of this when she comes for her next sleepover.

Traditional Christmas fabric to go with others already in my stash.

Moda Merrily....which I hope will go with the Winterlude layer cake I already have but if not ther is a metre of each which would make a good sized quilt on it's own.

Funky Christmas fabric to make some small gift bags.

This was a very special surprise purchase by DD. Michael Miller-Fairy Frost which really needs to be seen in real life. She was willing to buy me a half metre of every colour there but to be honest some were not really my kind of colours......purples, copper etc.

General stash. The post cartale fabric will probably become a bag.

My most favourite colour combination and will most likely become a quilt for me 😁

12 fat quarters....haven't a clue what I am going to do with it...lol.

Boring purchases which don't really need a picture....3 metres of 120" wide 80/20 batting, four packets of machine needles and a fabric glue pen plus a pack of refills.

I love everything and can't wait to start working with it all.

One of the best things for me was the fact that once we had had enough we just nipped up the road to drop Ruby home and then ten minutes and we were home and soon tucking in to a gorgeous Sunday lunch cooked by Andy.
......and to end the day....an emergency call out from The Doodle House where Marlowe had decided it would be great fun to stuff raisins up her nose and DDIL was worried she may have to take her to A&E. By the time we got there the raisins had broken down and made their escape back round into her mouth so crisis averted. She loved having me look up her nose with a torch so I hope to gawd she doesn't do it again for the sheer fun of it.....the little scallywag.

I expect you are all thoroughly bored now so I will finish up and go and leave you in peace.
Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Late Night Blogger!!!

Today (Friday) must be the first day in ages that the computer has stayed off all day.
It's been a very busy day with both Andy and DD at home, one car having the air con regassed, one car having new tyres, shopping, a surprise lunch out, the last pair of laundered curtains ironed and rehung in the sewing room and all the bits and bobs finally tidied away.
I am just now sitting down with a cup of coffee and having five minutes before I have an earlier night so that I am up bright and early in the morning for my day early birthday breakfast at The Doodles and I am hoping to bring Ruby back to stay for the night so that we don't disturb their household early on Sunday morning picking her up.

Feeling totally whacked now so I am off up.
Hope you have all had a good day....and just in case I don't get time to blog tomorrow....have a fabulous weekend.
Sheila-x-

Ouch, Ouch And More Ouch!!!

I think I overdid things a bit yesterday and have woken up with very sore shoulders and legs but at least all of the furniture is moved to it's new places and all that is left to do is tidy away all the bits and pieces.
Three of the four new boxes are filled and one is being kept empty ready for my purchases on Sunday.

As the tidying is going to take up most of the day we will just have a simple salad with some chicken strips tonight which surprisingly is one of Andy's current favourite meals.

Tomorrow DD has a day off in lieu of a day she is working at the weekend so we will go and get a top up shop done as some bits are needed now. I have done quite well this last week and spent less than £5 on top ups....one loaf of bread, one bottle of milk and some food pouches for the dog but the veg drawer is looking a bit sad and empty and after tea tonight so will the salad drawer.

Well all this stuff is not going to put itself away so I will go and get it sorted out.

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

A Bit Less Of Mrs Tea Towel!!!

I am over the moon this morning.
I have just got back from seeing the nurse for my blood test and having been weighed too......I have lost 4 kilos since I was last weighed just before Christmas. Just need to lose another 3 kilos to hit my target and then I can set a new one.....yay.

As we drove through the village to the surgery there was a team out strimming the grass verges....oh the smell was divine. I was sniffing like a Bisto kid.

Had a lovely couple of hours with Ruby last night. She has expressed an interest in going to the quilt show and so we are taking her.....unless she changes her mind...lol.

Today's plan is more cleaning and some furniture shifting in an attempt to reorganise the sewing room which has got very out of hand. Another set of four storage boxes has been purchased to help condense some stuff down. There is just about enough room for them to go under the table.

I had to fast for my blood test so I am very ready for a cup of tea before I go and get on with the jobs.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

How Am I Supposed To Get In The Mood.......!!!

.....for Spring cleaning when outside is like an Autumn day?

Yesterday wasn't too bad for most of the day and I did make a very good start on disturbing the dust and chasing away the spiders. 
Just before tea it started raining and I don't think it has stopped since.
This morning we have belting down rain with a bit of hail thrown in and it's cold and miserable.
All I want to do is snuggle up and watch either cookery programmes, read or do some hand sewing but I can't because I have my Ruby visiting today after school and I need to get some tidying done and decide on what I am going to make for tea using the minced beef I got out of the freezer last night.
I think it will either be minced beef and onion pie with lots of veggies and some good gravy or a spag bol. I'll see what I feel like when I get in the kitchen.

I thought I was going to miss out on birthday breakfast this year as my birthday falls on the day of the quilt show but my lovely DIL messaged me last night to ask if she can do it on Saturday instead so I have a smashing weekend coming up full of family and quilty things...you can't beat that 😁😁😁

Have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

A Misty Morning!!!

There is very little view across the fields this morning....just a wall of thick grey mist. It is also much colder than yesterday and Andy has had the heating on for an hour to warm the house up. We didn't have it on at all yesterday.

I am having to wait for Andy to come back from town before I can start on some jobs I want to get done . I need the steps and I can't find them so I expect they are in his shed and I am not going in there.

So today will be....window cleaning, maybe a bit of curtain washing and some paintwork wiping. When I have had enough of that I am going to be doing some sorting out and decluttering in the sewing room drawers to make room for the things I might buy on Sunday.

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

A Quiet Day!!!

It's very quiet here today on our small estate. Very unusual as we can normally hear children playing, mowers mowing and drills drilling somewhere....but I am not complaining.

A lunch of roast beef has been cooked and thoroughly enjoyed and the joint was large enough to fill two trays with leftover sliced meat and gravy for a couple of future meals and they have gone into the freezer.
While I was cooking DD has been doing the laundry and has just one more load to do. That means I can get on with other jobs tomorrow and not have to keep checking to see if the machines need emptying so I am one grateful Momma.
Andy has washed the pots and is just putting them away for me and then DD and I will take over the kitchen as a hair salon so that she can dye my hair so that I look half decent when we go to the quilt show next Sunday.
Once we are done I expect we will start a new season of 24 as there is nothing on tv on a Sunday evening that we enjoy at the moment.
So all in all a nice peaceful and relaxing day today and then all hell will be let loose next week as I battle to catch up with the many things that haven't been done while Andy has been at home.
Looking forward to getting my house back for a couple of weeks before DD has some annual leave.

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

Another Day Out!!!

Yesterday I was out all day again. This time a ride out to the tiny village where Andy was born and lunch at the pub there.
Then off to deliver a birthday card for our niece and take flowers to his Mum's grave. A quick visit to Hobbycraft to pick up some machine needles and the rest of the time was spent stuck in traffic just as the weather decided to hot up for the afternoon. Boy were we frazzled by the time we got home.

It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks and I am so looking forward to next week when I can stay home, get back into my routine and crack on with some jobs that need doing.
I am starting to feel the stirrings of that nasty bug we all get at this time of year....spring cleaningitis...lol. There is decluttering to be done, curtains to wash, paintwork to wipe down and corners to be hoovered out so I'll make a list and get it done a bit at a time.

We are also ready now for lighter meals so lots more salad will be served up. Tonight we are having some with hash jacket potatoes although I will probably go for some cheese and pineapple with mine and my potatoes can go in the freezer to be used for pack ups.

Right....coffee and crossword and then I will go and do a bit more.
Thank you so much for your comments on my last post. Next week I shall have more time to get back to replying to them individually.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sheila-x-

A Day Tinged With Sadness!!!

Today would have been Maggie's fifty eighth birthday.
I have woken with a heavy heart but I will not sit around moping as Maggie would have hated that.
It will be a very difficult day for her twin as they used to spend the day together and this is the first year they won't but she is spending some time with Maggie's daughters today which I hope will help.

My day will be spent cooking.......chicken and leek pies....one for us, one for The Doodles and hopefully enough to put one or two in the freezer for Ruby visits.
Andy has gone off on one of his wanders so I also hope to get a bit of cleaning done while he is out.
Later....if I am in the mood.....I will tackle that last pair of curtains....if not I will leave them for tomorrow.

Sorry there was no post yesterday but with Andy at home my routine changes and I was out pretty much all day.
We had a drive up to Carsington Water, lunch at the pub, a visit to the garden centre on the way home and then we picked Ruby up for tea. By the time we had taken her home and got back it was quite late and all I was fit for was collapsing on the sofa.

Today we have clear blue skies and sunshine and I am hoping it will last a few days and start to dry everywhere up. I am so sick of rain and mud now.
Hope the sun is brightening your day.
Sheila-x-

So Unladylike!!!

One pair of curtains shortened and rehung along with some bad words of a very unladylike nature.
The fabric is lovely to look at but working with it is a completely different matter altogether....and pair number two are the same fabric....arrrrrgh. I've not started them yet as Andy wanted a wander this morning. I had to wait for him to get back from the tyre fitters so we were later than expected going out.
Tester pots of paint to try out my new colour scheme for the living room have been purchased so I'll find an inconspicuous place to try them and I also managed to pick up a large candy stripe bed sheet from a charity shop for use as a backing for a future quilt.....£2 so I would have been daft to leave that in the shop.

Back home now and I am just finishing off the laundry. Andy is doing some jobs outside as surprisingly it is dry and sunny today.
Part of the road into town is still flooded but passable with some careful driving down the middle of the road. Any more rain though will cause problems as the fields either side are still under quite a bit of water.

A quick and easy tea tonight of beefburgers, chips and beans at Andy's request and if I can cope with them I will start the other pair of curtains after tea.

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

A Busy Easter Monday!!!

Yesterday was a bit of a slobbing about day. I cooked lunch early, we ate it and then spent the rest of the time just relaxing together.
Today we were up and at it and so far Andy has picked up the tallboy that DD found at Barnado's on Saturday. It has been shifted up two flights of stairs and is now in place ready for DD to sort out the stuff she wants to go in it.
I now have light in the sewing room so that I can see better to do things at night and I am halfway through the weeks laundry.
Next job on my list is to shorten two pairs of curtains for upstairs and get them hung which I will be doing as soon as I am done on here.

The weather is foul. Snow early this morning and now torrential rain which has already flooded the road into the little town. Andy says it is just about passable but if it carries on all day then we shall be in trouble.
As we have no plans to be going anywhere we're not too worried.

I hope the weather isn't stopping you doing what you want to be doing today.
Sheila-x-