Heartfelt Friends Round Robin

Thought i would end the year with some stitching photos seeing as it's what this blog's primarily about :) My Heartfelt Friends Round Robin returned to me in one piece Woohoo! I read so much about these going missing but i was one of the lucky ones! A big thank-you to Donna, Edgar, Lesley, Janice and Rowyn for stitching on it for me (especially Rowyn who kindly stepped in at the end)! Its an LHN house theme as you can see and it has been on quite a journey - Scotland, England, America and New Zealand! I need to finish my square on it now.

Ashamedly i have had Jancie's RR in my possession way too long. I wasnt stitching for ages earlier in the year. Pregnancy caused an aversion to stitching! However, a few weeks ago i did finish my square. Janice wanted an LHN autumn theme. I stitched this square

and here's how her piece looks overall. Lovely! I didnt want to post it off to Lesley as i was worried about it getting lost in the Christmas rush but i will soon! Speaking of Christmas i'd quite like to do a Christmas themed Round Robin sometime...just an idea.

Well this will be my last post of 2008! Tonight we are going to our friend's house to bring in the New Year. Hopefully i'll be able to stay awake until midnight! Here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2008

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes/emails etc. I meant to get on here before Christmas to wish all my blogging friends a Happy Christmas but never got round to it! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

For those that have been wondering, there's no sign of baby yet. Im due one week tomorrow!! Im fed up now - tired, swollen, uncomfortable in all positions etc etc At my last appointment with my midwife, baby still hadnt dropped into my pelvis so she thinks i will be late. I really hope i dont have to be induced but i have to say, it really doesnt feel like its gonna come out soon!

We had a nice Christmas. On Christmas eve i ended up having to venture to the shops for some last minute things. Then i came home and baked 2 banana loafs and some gingerbread men. In the evening we went out for a Chinese meal with my family which was the best Chinese food ive ever had! Christmas day was spent at my mum and dads house with my aunt and uncle and my Gran. My sister was at her in-laws this year. On boxing day, my mum and dad came to mine and i cooked a Shepherds pie and then we watched my favourite Christmas movie - Elf. Yesterday, DH and I walked for an hour and then i came home and slept for 2! I was pretty wiped out all day yesterday actually.

I slept so badly last night that we skipped church this morning. Today i plan on getting some baby things organised. I dont feel like baby is gonna come soon so ive been delaying all the things i really need to do, like pack my hospital bag, sort out the baby's crib/clothes etc etc Thats what this week holds in store!

Maternity leave is great

I am loving being off work! I havent been bored at all yet. Its great! On Monday i went Christmas shopping but walking around the shopping centre was totally exhausting and i had to come home and go to bed for 2 hours after it LOL Monday night was our Christmas ladies night at church. On Tuesday i was back in work to finish a couple of things and then they took me out for the afternoon, i got lovely presents and flowers. On Wednesday i stayed home and played domestic goddess for the day and cooked a lovely Shepherds Pie (even if i do say so myself) which was a recipe from one of my Delia Smith cookbooks that ive used maybe once in 2 years LOL Thursday i got my haircut, did more Christmas shopping and went out for my sisters birthday in the evening. Today i was at the dentist, then at my mum and dads for lunch and im just home. The week has passed quickly.

I heard from Carol that she received the Reindeer Games exchange i sent her. Its a design from JCS 2006 Christmas issue by The Workbasket. I made this hanging pillow and found the perfect reindeer fabric for it.

Not the best pictures but you get the idea! I sent along some other goodies too but didnt photograph those.

Excited to put up my Christmas decorations tomorrow!!

Reindeer Games

As you can see above, I received my Reindeer Games exchange from Lisa on Friday. Lisa said that its an American folk arts design of a reindeer dated from 1666 and she finished it as a no sew cube. It's lovely! She also included great gifts - a reindeer ornie, a reindeer tea towel, threads and cute christmas buttons. I love everything Lisa, thanks so much! I just hope the exchange i sent arrives okay now!

I also reached another milestone with CDC. Ive finished 2 pages now and started the third! Im right back into this again although i need to put it aside to finish Janice's RR which ive embarassingly had far too long.

In pregnany news, i have one month to go and i've finished work!! Woooo Hooooo! Cant tell you how good it feels. Im going in this week but just for a lunch and i plan to attend the Christmas night out but that's hardly work!! So good to have that stress away. I am 36 weeks pregnant now and here's the most recent bump shot taken last week at my baby shower

We picked up our pram yesterday (i love the pram we got) and DH had the job of putting it together. My job was to oversee.....obviously LOL. What can i say? I was tired!!!

Baby shower

Well its been a busy week since i last posted. We've had 2 thanksgiving meals (even though we're in Scotland) and a baby shower. The baby shower was for me (my 2nd one)! My friend Sherri organised it for me and it was really good fun! There were about 18 of us. I dont know if Sherri reads this blog but she is truely one of those great friends who is so kind and considerate and goes out her way to help people. She has a 7month year old already and has been so kind at passing on loads of things i will need when babyT arrives, from maternity clothes to baby baths! She's been great and i really appreciate it! Anyway...back to the shower... i got loads of lovely presents and we played lots of fun games. The funniest moment had to be trying on these lovely knickers that my friend Claire got me for a jokeI hope i'll never need them for real! LOL

One thing i can't get over is just how kind people are! Ive had so many gifts and presents already, our house is filling up as you can see from this picture of presents (apart from the iron and ironing board)I must thank 2 of my good blog friends for their lovely gifts recently; Lesley sent me a whole box of baby clothes which i really appreciate and Michele sent me the most gorgeous scrapbook - i'll take a picture of it sometime! And these are people ive never met -its so kind!!

So the big news this week will be me finishing work!! For those that regularly read my blog you will know that i have been counting down the days for a long time! This thursday is my last day. Im excited to finish but a little apprehensive as well which i didnt really expect. I dont want what ive worked on over the past while to be messed up and on the other hand i dont want my replacement to come in and do a much better job than me LOL can't win!

On the stitching front, i finished my Reindeer Games exchange for the sbebb and mailed it today. I was really pleased with my finished piece so i look forward to posting a picture once its been received!

Cirque is back

The last time i worked on CdC seems to have been back in February!!! Oh my, how time flies! This is how it looked back then but i had the urge to pick it up again recently and here's how it now looksIts good to see some progress on a piece that will probably take me years! I already have a space on the living room wall earmarked for this so hopefully not too many years LOL Ive also worked a bit on Baby's sampleras im getting bigger and more tired i have more time to stitch. I finish work in 2 weeks now and i really can't wait! As of today i am 34weeks pregnant. I cant wait until the day now, im impatient!

I had a busy weekend. On Saturday i spent the day with my Gran which was nice. We just stayed in, ate, drank tea and did our crafts. Yesterday, my American friend Lori had an early thanksgiving lunch and it was so good!! DH was in Liverpoool at the weekend and sped home to get there in time LOL you'd think he was never fed proper food ;-) Lori is due her second baby in 3weeks! It'll be nice to have babies the same age and in the same class at school one day!

I have a day off today so i had a lie in this morning and plan on having a lazy day. I do need to do some cleaning though, but not just yet...

Baby Sampler

Thanks for the comments about my job on my last post. Whilst it is totally unfair, i have a peace about it all now...in other words...ive stopped caring about work, the end is nigh there! If i go back, there will have to be a higher salary for me too. If not, i will look for a part-time job elsewhere. Im glad to reach this point as it was messing with my mind too much last week.

I still have a cold but it's not half as bad anymore. I had to take a few sick days and got lots of stitching time in whilst watching my Lost season 3 boxset. I have chosen this piece to stitch for babyT's room
and this is what i have done so far

Im enjoying working on this! Its from The Historical Sampler Company, ive never bought anything from them before but certainly will in the future!

DH and i have just been out walking and then we went out for a lovely lunch. Now i plan to spend the rest of the day/evening relaxing and working on this sampler! Hopefully more progress pics soon!

Grumpy

I have a rotten stinking cold and it sucks. My nose is blocked up, my ears hurt, my throat is killing and im tired and i cant sleep. Im also grumpy can you tell LOL

This is just a bad ending to a bad week. Work is really hacking me off right now. I finish in 5weeks so i shouldnt care but my "replacement" for maternity cover is coming in on a much higher salary than me which i think is hugely unfair. Boss gets round it by saying the new staff member (who happens to be a friend) will be doing a different job but why, if thats the case, have i to hand everything over to him then. He has no experience in the field and is coming from a completely different career to cover the job. Boss knew to get him she'd have to pay him higher because of the salary hes on in his current job. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy who will be great at the job BUT.....we're a charity and it doesnt seem right to me and its really, really bugging me. DH keeps telling me to forget about it - im leaving, i will have a new wee baby soon and might not even return to work there (certainly not full-time anyway) but me being me, it just grates on me, i hate feeling hard done by!! Rant over!

Last night, i wasnt feeling as bad as today so i bought some wee pumpkins on the way home and we carved them. The one on the left is mine, the one on the right is DH's. They make me laugh! We dont celebrate halloween (and it isnt that "big" over here anyway) but this was fun to do!!

Ive got bigger in the last few weeks, check out my tummy now at nearly 31weeks

Christmas ornie

Had to squeeze another post in for October. Thats 4 this month! Not posted this much since May! Im glad to be back to blogging.

As of today, babyT is 30wks so im due in 10 weeks! Hoping it will come sooner (not too soon, around 38weeks would be good though) Can you tell im impatient?! Its movements have really changed now, no longer little kicks here and there but big hard body movements! I can tell its got a lot bigger in the last few weeks.

I have another finish. I finished the stitching on this ages ago but just made it into an ornament last night. Its from the JCS 2006 Christmas issue. I was gonna give this away to someone as a gift but the finishing was a bit dodgy (i cut my linen down too close to the stitching) so im just keeping it for myself. Ive hung it over my mother-to-be cards, these cards are from Canadian friends and not that common over here (well not that ive seen anyway).

The clocks went back this weekend. Last night it was dark here about 5.30pm!! Its a bit depressing, but probably because its rained pretty much non-stop for the last 5 days as well. In the summer its light in Scotland until about 11pm so this is so different. I become more of a couch potato in winter thats for sure.

Working tonight, so im off today. Hoping to get out walking seeing as its dry for once. Have a good week!

She can stitch!

Look! I can stitch after all! The urge is returning i can feel it LOL

This is from the Prairie Schoolers 12 days of Christmas. I stitched Partridge in a Pear tree last year and finished it as a wee ornament which you can see hear. I want to have all 12 ornies on my tree one day. At this rate of one a year though its gonna be a while!
I have now signed up for the Reindeer exchange on the sbebb. Im on a roll folks! I was put off exchanges when the last one i sent in the summer got lost in the mail but im venturing back in again.

Our Canadian guests have now returned home. We had a great time with them and my nephew was very cute! At 18months hes a handful though! We try to go to Canada once a year as DH misses his homeland but im not sure when we'll next be there - depends on babyT and whether we would want to travel with her/him.

I have a day off work today and i just made a banana loaf - i could get used to this kinda life i tell you!

Bump update

Ive done it! Ive posted more than once this month - woo hoo!

No crafty/stitchy updates im afraid. My brother in law, his wife and my nephew are over from Canada at the moment so when i get home from work my time is occupied! My nephew is 18months old and boy he's a handful! A taster of things to come in my life!!

Im now 28 weeks pregnant. Here's the latest bump picture I think i look terrible in this picture but it gives you an idea of the bump size these days. I am so unbelievably tired! My iron levels are low though so that explains why. I picked up my prescription of Ferrous Sulphate from the Doctors yesterday so i really hope that will improve my tiredness. I also have Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction which is basically terrible pain in my pelvis area due to hormones softening my ligaments earlier than necessary. I have to have physio and wear a support. The physio has really helped and now i know what not to do (basically do nothing that involves separating my legs too much!) the pain is a lot better.

Baby T is breech at the moment so here's hoping he/she'll turn in the next wee while!

I was down in Birmingham the first weekend in October for a girly weekend at my friends house and they threw me a surprise baby shower! I knew something was going on, lots of whispering/silences when i walked in a room etc etc They got me so many presents - lots of really great practical things like nappies, muslin squares, creams etc etc as well as some clothes/toys etc as well. Here i am opening some gifts

I have 7 weeks, 3 days and 1 hour left at work. I cannot wait to leave!!!

Once a month posting

Now i really have to get better than once a month blog posting!

Im doing fine thanks to everyone for asking. I am just over 26weeks pregnant now. Not feeling sick these days just so tired. I wish i could start my maternity leave now! 9 weeks and 1 day of work left! We do know what we're having but we're not telling anyone! Im getting bigger daily it feels and babyT moves around non-stop. I havent posted my 20 week scan pictures yet, here they are. Cute eh? (even if i do say so myself LOL).

That was 6 weeks ago. BabyT will no doubt be a lot bigger now!

Stitching bug has severely diminished with pregnancy but not totally gone. I stitched this little PS Santa recently. The first i've done in a long time!

DH's brother and his family arrive from Canada on Tuesday. My wee nephew is nearly 18mths now so we're looking forward to seeing him again. He's walking now and talking in his adorable Canadian accent so it will be a good time. They are with us for 8 days.

I am going to try and post more often in October and catch up with everyones blogs too!!

5 year anniversary

The bad blogger returns for another sporadic post!

Saturday 6th September was our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going up north to stay at this beautiful guest host in Fortwilliam. Fortwilliam is the town located at the foot of Ben Nevis.

I have to say i have never been to the highlands before and i never really appreciated just how amazing Scotland is!! We were totally in awe of the scenery and didnt want to leave! I took this shot on route there at Glencoe. Imagine living in that house?!On Saturday we travelled further North to Mallaig and to Morar to see the "white sands of Morar" and wow this was the highlight of our trip. Look at this beach! It was incredible. My Canadian DH kept saying "i cant believe this is Scotland."Thats the islands of Rum and Eigg in the distance. And here we are on our anniversary, a bit older and wider (LOL) than we were on our wedding day 5 years ago (more wedding pics can be seen here)

20 weeks now!

I havent been blogging much recently. But i have been doing a little stitching again now that im not so sick! I stitched this for Nicola as she was one of my blogiversary winners back in January! 2 gifts down (Staci and Nicola), 2 gifts to go (Juls and Michele) - hopefully before my next blogiversary LOL Anyway, i stitched this wee lady from a LHN chart and i hope Nicola likes it!
So as of today i am 20 weeks pregnant! Time sure flies! We have another scan next week which im really looking forward to, although i will be so nervous nearer the time. I can feel babyT move around now which he/she does a lot. Its a great feeling! Heres my wee bump so far :-)

Thanks to everyone who offered to stitch on my RR! You are all so kind! Rowyn was the first to reply - thanks Rowyn, im really grateful!

A favour to ask...

For those of you that are regular visitors to my blog, you will know that i am in a LHN Round Robin that the lovely Donna set up Heartfelt Friends RR Above is a picture of my RR at present. Isnt it lovely?! I think its on its way from Donna to Edgar at the moment. Anyway, one of the stitchers has pulled out and i was wondering if anyone out there in blogland would be willing to stitch one of the squares for me and of course a wee gift will be stitched for you in return :) I have already stitched one of the squares (its partly complete at the moment) so dont really want 2 stitched by myself seeing as its about friendship etc The theme is LHN designs and my only specification is that the square has to include a house! Anyone willing? I understand if not but i would really, really appreciate it if someone is willing!

Last night i finished Gilmore Girls season 7. Ive had the boxset for ages but couldnt bring myself to watch it knowing it was the last ever season! I liked the way it ended, although i think Rory should have stayed with Logan. I did cry at the end but maybe that was more to do with pregnancy hormones that anything else LOL

I realised i never posted any pictures of our holiday back in June. We flew to Portugal but we were actually staying over the border in Spain. We had a great week. The hotel was gorgeous. It was situated right on a golf course and was nice and peaceful. We relaxed the whole week - i read a lot of books! The weather was perfect. Here are some snaps

Mum and Dad to be:
Have a good weekend. Its a local holiday here which means i get Monday off woohoo!!

Summer House Exchange

I received the most gorgeous summer house exchange from Joan on Saturday. Take a look!My first ever tin! Joan also made me a project bag, a chicken pin cushion and thread drops! And...is if that wasn't enough, a PS Santa with the fabric and floss to stitch it, oh, and some mints too which i notice arent in the picture but that's because DH stole them as soon as i showed him LOLThank-you so much Joan, i love this package you put together for me! It was a great treat to open on Saturday.


Thanks for the awards i received recently! From Lesley
which i will now pass on to the following people

Donna's Daisygirl Stitching
Mercy's Pretty in Pink
Michele's Just another Stitching Blog
Kathy's Sit and Stitch


and from Jessie
which i will now pass on to
Vonna's The Twisted Stitcher
Tanya's At the Honeysuckle Tree
Stephanie's In Stitches
Lesley's Tintock Tap

The sun is out here! Woo hoo! Makes a nice change, July has been pretty disappointing so far but the last week has been warm and sunny! Im hoping to leave work early today to enjoy it whilst it lasts! My friend is cooking dinner tonight for a group of us which should be good.

In pregnancy news ive only been sick once in the last week! Had a midwife appointment on Friday and heard the baby's heartbeat which was nice and reassuring :) 17 weeks now!

Baby and Biscornu

Holy Moly 74 comments on my last post! That is amazing. Thank-you to everyone for the congratulations messages. It was great to hear from so many people. I am now 16 weeks pregnant and feeling much better, i havent been sick now for over a week. Still the occasional blinding headache though. To answer a few questions...i dont know if its a boy or girl and i dont know if we'll find out or not, can't decide! Also our surname is Thomas hence babyT.

Still no stitching. Hoping the urge will return. I ordered this the other day from The Historical Sampler Company that i will stitch for the baby's room

So i never did show a picture of my first ever biscornu!! I made this for Staci a few months ago as one of my prizes for my blogiversary contest. It took me quite a while to stitch and finish and it isnt perfect by any means, maybe i'll be quicker with my next one. I took a few pictures seeing as it was my first one LOL