Happy Christmas!

Just want to wish everyone that reads my blogs a very Happy Christmas from our home to yours! Looks like we're going to have a white one, which is rare, it's cold and snowy!

Christmas Exchange no.2

Isn't this gorgeous? Clare doesnt have a blog but we got emailing when she responded to my Christmas exchange request. It is so petite with totally perfect stitching and finishing, a billion times better than mine thats for sure. I love it!

As well as this little beauty she sent all these goodies too! Look at the hat and mitts she knitted for Caleb. Beautiful!

I annoyingly didnt take a picture of what i stitched for Clare, but it was basically the same as the one as i sent Kathy (see previous post) except it was JBW's Peace, Love, Joy.

Been another busy week in our household. Was away with work overnight which was awful. The usual office Christmas party shenanigans going on...tears, fights, bitchiness, backstabbing, totally drunk idiots saying too much they shouldnt etc etc Was awful, just keeping low and getting on with my job, 2 days a week, surely i can survive that?!

Looking forward to Christmas now. Its fun with Caleb! He was 11months old yesterday.

Christmas Exchange no.1

My 2 nights away were bliss! I arrived thursday afternoon, spent ages in the gym, went swimming, sat in the jacuzzi, had a meal and a glass of wine in the bar then went to my room and watched tv and had a peaceful night! Full English Breakfast Friday morning before heading to the wedding. The wedding was lovely as was another night in the hotel, with another fry up Saturday morning followed by the gym and then home. I would recommend all mums have a get-away overnight! It was great!

I have taken part in 3 Christmas exchanges this year. Ive enjoyed stitching Christmas ornaments for my blogging friends. Here is the first which went to Kathy

Its a JBW designs piece. The ribbon says Merry Christmas and i added a little charm thing in the left corner. I sent Kathy other gifts which you can see on her blog.

Here is what Kathy sent me (blogger just wont let me turn this photo round). The mitts are so cute! She also included chocolates but they are long gone!

I love Christmas exchanges! Thanks Kathy!

10 months

Another week has flown by. My weeks are busy. I go to various mums and tots groups on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, i work on a Wednesday and meet up with friends and their babies to swim most Fridays. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone. Caleb was 10months old on Wednesday. Here is my cheeky boy who's now nearly walking. He is a lot of fun!

Im back at work now one day a week. I hate where i work now. I work for a charity with only 5 people and its awful. There are a lot of lies, backstabbing, corruptness... it's shocking. I work for a boss who rarely shows up. I do the same job (and better in my opinion) as a guy with no experience but who is paid £10,000 more it. Its a corrupt place, full of injustices which could turn you into a bitter person if you didnt rise above it. Thankfully funding is nearing an end and changes are afoot, which will mean reapplying for jobs, but im glad. It's a scandal that the place can run as it is.

This week im off to a wedding down south. Im going on my own as Caleb wasn't invited and DH has work. 2 child-free nights in a beautiful hotel, with a gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna! Bliss! Will be very strange being on my own and i'll miss my boys but i am really looking forward to it as well! I got a beautiful Karen Millen dress off ebay to wear to the wedding.

Ive finished and mailed 2 Christmas ornaments this weekend so i will be able to show pictures of them soon. Have a good week!

Not stitching

A few months ago i received this framed Caleb piece from my friend. Its basically letters and circles cut out of fabric and hand-sewn on to a larger piece of fabric. I have no desire to stitch at the moment and so ive decided to try something similar for my niece. I cut out the fabrics last night.

Im not going to frame it, i think i'll make it into a pillow. I'll wait and see how it looks once its all sewn on.

Ive stitched 3 Christmas ornies recently, for Clare, Kathy and Jill. Now i just need to do the finishing.

Stitching is good for your health

So according to a magazine im reading, clinical studies have shown that sewing can help to reduce the three key markers of stress - blood pressure, heart rate and perspiration. It's official then, stitching is good for your health!

With that in mind, i wish i had more time for it! Life is busy at the moment and the weeks fly by. As of last week, im back at work every Wednesday. Im also on a fitness kick at the moment too, back into running and going to a body combat class at least once a week. It feels good! These dark winter days can make you sluggish otherwise.

Very belated blogiversary gifts

These, im ashamed to say, are blogiversary prizes from me to Michele and Juls from January 2008! Yes, nearly two years ago LOL In my defence, i had 4 winners and i sent Staci's and Nicola's within the year but then i got pregnant and i developed an aversion to stitching for months and Juls and Michele's gifts got postponed...for a while :)

I sent Michele the heart pin cushion and other goodies which you can see on her blog. That little pillow was a labour of love. I started it the night i went into hospital to be induced. Then, after my horrendous labour, i couldnt look at the damn thing again, let alone stitch on it, for months. Look, i found proof, here's me trying to stitch on it back in those early sleep deprived days. It's on my knee!

When i did finally decide i could put that trauma behind me and stitch on it again, i finished it and decided i was going to make it a hanging ornie. Then my sewing machine chewed it up and i spent hours trying to salvage it. I finally made it into this little pincushion. I hope it stays together Michele! So, when i sent it to Michele i told her this story behind this little labour of love! I wonder, does anyone else have something they cant stitch on because of a time they associate it with?

There is no such story behind the gift i sent to Juls. Although i did actually finish the stitching on it a year ago, i just never got round to the finishing until now. I sent Juls a little notepad and a selection of tea bags to go with her gift.

So if i ever decide to do a blogiversary competition again, be warned, it could take years for gifts to arrive!

Big ship came to town

The largest, the tallest, the longest, the most expensive Oceanliner was in town yesterday. The Queen Mary 2. Apparently she is the length of 3 football pitches. That's long! We were actually just heading into town and had missed all the hype about her arrival so we weren't expecting this sight. I took this on my phone as we were driving past.

Been stitching up a storm recently and have 2 finishes but nothing i can share as its for people who read this blog.

Caleb turned 9 months on Sunday! This year has flown by, probably because i was in a sleep deprived haze those first few months LOL

*Warning, more boring blogging about chores*My chore rota is working a dream. Its making things more manageable. Like instead of "clean the bathroom" which is a big job, its all broken down. Yesterday i cleaned the toilet, today i cleaned the bath and shower, tomorrow the floor etc etc. I can do that! I skip quite a few things, especially if i have a busy day, but its been a good guide thats for sure.

Sick week

Thanks to everyone offering to Christmas exchange! Im so tempted to exchange with all of you, but you might be waiting a few years for your gifts so just went with the first few folk to comment. Thank-you all! Clare, if you read this, will you email me cherylthomas3000 at yahoo dot com. I hope to do more exchanges this way throughout next year.

So, what a week. Our thanksgiving meal was amazing. My friend Emily (a Canadian living here) cooked up a feast. The best meal ive had all year i swear! DH (also a Canadian living here) was glad to have a "proper" thanksgiving. Caleb was a bit grumpy though so i had to leave early. Then by the evening he had a high fever and we were starting to panic. Caleb has a bladder reflux (which we found out after his hospital stay back in May) which means that when he pees some goes back up to his Kidneys, putting him at constant risk of infection. He's on long term antibiotics but a fever is the first sign that something is wrong again. So we were worried! Anyway, we got an emergency doctors appointment Monday morning and he put him on a stronger antibiotic and we had to send off pee samples etc etc. We havent had those results back yet. Turns out he had a throat infection as well. He was so miserable all day Monday. Poor baby. Then on Tuesday DH got sick and was throwing up every hour for 12 hours. Today, DH is better and back at work and Caleb is good too. Phew. Here's my little cheeky monkey

Christmas Exchange anyone?

Dont worry Kathy, one of todays "chores" was "take time for a craft/hobby." Do you think i did much else on the list after that? Err, no!

Just to prove that this is a stitching blog and not the most boring blog-about-chores blog, i have a finish. My first since July! Bent Creek's "January Snows." As i've previously mentioned, i'm stitching all 12 months on one piece of linen. As the chart is second hand i don't have the snaps but i do plan on buying some little buttons, this one needs some on the snowman's tummy! I'll add them once i've bought some.

I was wondering if one person out there in blogland would be interested in a Christmas ornie exhange? Im not part of any exchange groups anymore so just thought i'd ask on here.

This weekend i've got a baby shower to go to tomorrow and then we will be celebrating Canadian thanksgiving on Sunday with a meal at our friends house. Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians!

Motivated Day 2

According to my chore rota these are my "Daily Chores"

Make beds

Load/Run/Empty Dishwasher

Sweep Kitchen

Clean Kitchen Sink

Clear/Wipe kitchen counters

Plan/cook dinner

Wipe out bathroom sinks

Empty trash

Do laundry

Read to children

Exercise

Quiet time

Take vitamins

Prepare tomorrows clothing

Do washing up

Then each day there are additional things, e.g today i had to

Change towels

Clean middle shelf of the fridge

Clean behind and under fridge

Mop kitchen

Work on baby book/photo album

Apart from a couple, ive managed the majority. Not bad considering i was up for a while with Caleb last night, went to mums and tots this morning and met my friend for a long walk this afternoon.

Motivated

I found this chore planner on my friends blog and i am hoping to become a "motivated mom" LOL I always feel like something needs done chore-wise and i cant keep on top of things and it becomes overwhelming and then nothing gets done. This chore planner gives me certain things to do each day so i can just do those things and not be overwhelmed by everything else! Plus i just love ticking things of a list! So for just $2 i am now a motivated mum ha ha ha. I'll keep you updated!

Im returning to work 4 weeks tomorrow and im dreading it. Its only one day a week for November and December, then 2 days a week from January. No big deal. I really dont want to though! Im a bit of a control freak i think, i dont want anyone else looking after Caleb! Between my mum and my husband we should have it covered but Caleb and i are in a groove, we know what to do and when, it'll be really hard leaving him for a whole day with someone other than my DH, even though its just my mum. I like things done my way, she likes things done hers! The funding for my job finishes in March so maybe i'll just take another break then if its not working out.

Life is short

Yesterday someone we know through our church died of a heart attack, at his nephews stag party. He was 42. Isnt that just tragic? He was fit and loved hill climbing. A heart attack? Such a shock. He had two teenage children. What a shock. I cant actually believe its true yet. Things like this sure drill home just how unpredictable life can be. Make the most of every day, tell your family and friends how much you love them. Im glad he had faith in God and will be up there in heaven. Im sad for his family but at least they can take comfort in the fact he is now with the God he devoted his life to. Pray for them...

Holiday

We have been home from our holiday in the Lake District a week now but i have been too busy to blog about it. Caleb seemed to get bored of crawling after a week once he found that pulling himself up onto everything was a lot more fun. Which has in turn led to a lot more head bangs. My days are filled chasing after him.

Anyway, back to our holiday. Its always a gamble with the weather holidaying in Britain. Our gamble paid off. We had beautiful weather. We spent the first 3days at a cottage in Appleby with 8 of our friends. Then we spent 6days at a caravan near Grange-over-Sands just the 3 of us. It was great. We visited most of the places around Lake Windermere.

The famous Beatrix Potter House

Windermere

Coniston (my favourite place)

Ambleside

We had a great time. I'll post more about it again no doubt, for now i have a child climbing up my leg wanting fed

Crawling

My 7 month old baby is crawling and wow, crawling babies are hard work. He's been dragging himself around for months but as of Saturday 29th he is properly crawling and dont i know it! Ive discovered 1) My house isnt child friendly 2) My floors arent clean 3) My child has a lot of energy 4) You can spend a fortune on fancy toys but the box it came in always ends up being more fun. I spend my time at home constantly repeating; Watch your head (as he bangs it on yet another wall) Watch your fingers (as he opens and closes another door/drawer), No Caleb, Nooo Caleb, Nooooo Caleb . I cannot leave him for a second! All that aside, it is great watching him get around and discover new things. He loves it, you can see the pure joy on his face as he moves from room to room!

I was hoping he wouldn't crawl til after our upcoming holiday. We leave early Saturday to go to the Lake District. 4days with some friends at a cottage in Appleby and then 7 days at a caravan just outside Windermere. I am so looking forward to getting away. It'll be good to have a change of scenery and forget about chores and everyday routines.

In stitching, ive started something new; Bent Creek Snappers. Im stitching all the months on one long piece of linen.

And here's where i left off on Mary (told you i'd get bored soon enough)

This week in short

This week...

Caleb turned 7months - woohoo!

I got my hair cut short - woohoo!

DH had the week off work -woohoo!

The inlaws have been here from Canada and leave in the morning - woohoo! (Which bit am i cheering at? I shall not comment LOL )

We had a great day out yesterday at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and then the Transport museum - woohoo!

Ive got my sisters dog to look after all weekend -boooo!

All my family are away at my cousins wedding in Ireland this weekend and we're not. Gutted! DH couldnt get time off-booooo

But....we're getting Chinese food for dinner courtesy of the inlaws - woohoo!

Missing bloggers

Im trying to eat healthier. I had blueberries and natural youghurt for breakfast. That's 2 days in a row. I have a lot more fruit and veg in the house now Caleb is eating and its inspiring me to eat better. There'll will be exceptions, many, but generally i will eat healthier. Or eat more fruit and veg at the least. DH wants to lose an inch (or two) off his waist so there's another incentive.

On a completely different subject, isnt it weird when bloggers go missing? There's a few blogs i've been following for years, get to know them (kinda), get to know their lives, follow their ups and downs and then suddenly there are no more posts...and havent been for months/years. I so often wonder whats happened. You follow someones life on their blog (well those are the blogs i most like; life with crafts thrown in too) so when they go missing it's bizarre. You hope nothing awful has happened, that they just got bored with blogging, but you have to wonder eh? I know from personal experience that when life is tough the last thing ever on your mind is your blog but anyway, i still wonder......

Speaking of blogs...do you have blogs that you just love to read? The ones you go to straight away when you see a new post? I do. One of my favourites is Balancing Everything I love that blog. The woman is amazing! I love the pacifier clips she sews but im always too darn slow in keeping up with blogs that i miss it when they're on sale. You cant comment on her blog which i think is pretty cool...you can get too caught up in blogging for comments. I used to be a bit like that, not any more, my blog is pretty much for me. I do love getting comments though! Another of my favourites is Scotland for the Senses, makes me feel proud of where i come from and inspires me to visit more places in my country.

Before i go here's my Mary Wigham update, its the only thing ive been stitching on recently. Wanna take bets on how long it'll be before i get bored of it ? LOL At the moment im enjoying it

Made with love by Gran

My mum made this quilt for Caleb. Isnt it lovely? I want to get into quilting, even took some classes a while back, but it just doesnt appeal to me as much as stitching

I love the label on the back.

A quieter week this week. Caleb has really bad skin at the moment after a bad reaction to cream prescribed for his infected cradle cap. His face and head look terrible. Im sad for him but glad it doesnt seem to bother him. We see a dermatologist on Monday. Poor baby. Always something for Mummy to worry about!

In other news, DH's grandpa passed away this week. Although we're sad, it was expected, he lived in a nursing home in Bath with his wife. Its strange because for years it was DH's Granny that we thought would go first, shes so frail, has severe dementia and is really just existing, if you know what i mean. Gramps was always fine, physically and mentally. He just declined really quickly this month and ended up dying first. He was a man with a strong faith and will be in a better place now that's for sure. So DH's folks fly over from Canada on Monday for the funeral on Wednesday which DH will fly down south for too. Then the inlaws are coming up for a weeks visit after that.

Mary

I dont really have much to blog about! Just been busy spending the days with Caleb, meeting friends and i was at camp for a week. Ive been putting stitches into Mary Wigham when i get the opportunity last thing at night, here's how its looking.

A main water pipe burst in the village yesterday so we were without water for the day. Its back on now but the road has collapsed so to even get to my mums house (5mins away) i would have to take a 45minute detour. The only road going out of the village in that direction is one way and apparently the police are sittting waiting for cars using it and issuing fines. Disgraceful! Its the only road out and they should be putting up traffic lights so it can be temporarily used as a 2 way road so that people dont have to take massive detours.

6months

Happy 6month Birthday to my gorgeous gorgeous little boy!

Baby got teeth!

As of this week, my baby has teeth! 2 teeth! Look

My baby has also started being able to push himself around the floor. I left him on his playmat, came back into the room and this is where i found him

Time has really flown. He's great fun. My friend has a newborn baby and wow, how different! I can only vaguely remember that stage now.

Anyway, i started Mary Wigham. Progress will be slow because i dont get much time to stitch, just late evenings for half an hour at the most

Im off to camp on Saturday for a week. This is a camp our church runs. We have a boys week, a girls week and a mixed teen week. I help run the girls week. Theres about 60 of us this year. Its hard work but i love it. Ive been every year since i was 10. Im not sleeping there and i'll be travelling back and forward a lot during the day to help out with Caleb but the campsite isnt far from my house.

Back from the framers

We have had a really hot spell of weather and im actually glad to see some rain today coz its just been too hot! Its been good though, sometimes summers here can be depressing with all the rain but so far so good...

Anyway, look at this...

Caleb's sampler back from the framers! My first framed finish and im really pleased with it. So is Caleb

It was pricey to get it framed but these big finishes are few and far between so i just went with it.

Not much else to report....just been busy out and about in the sun. Took Caleb swimming for the first time last week and he loved it. We were at my cousin's wedding last weekend and i had him in a little shirt and tie, totally adorable.

Started my Mary Wigham piece at last ....update next post

Wimbledon Semis today- so hope Andy Murray gets through! Its been a loooong time since a Brit/Scot reached a Wimbledon Final. Go Murray go!

First Fathers Day

I love this picture. He's such a great Dad. I think you see your husband in a different way once a child comes along. Happy First Fathers Day to a great Daddy!

"F" aithful.
"A" lways there.
"T" rustworthy.
"H" onoring.
"E" ver-loving.
"R" ighteous.
"S" upportive

Author Unknown

Another week another finish!

I finished another piece this week. A freebie from Debbie Draper Designs. I actually started this the night i went into hospital to be induced but havent been able to work on it since because i associated it with hospital/labour etc etc but i managed to pull it out again and finish the stitching off.
I thought i would show some of the lovely handmade pressies ive received over the last few months for Caleb. Starting on the left, my mum knitted Mr Humpty, my friend Becky made the "Caleb" in the frame - the letters and the circles are cut out of material and handstitched on (you cant see it in this picture but his date of birth is stitched in some of the circles), my friend Janet made the lovely photo album and my friend Lori made the fab sock monkey! I love handmade gifts!On the baby front, im so looking forward to Caleb starting food. Not long now..he's so ready i think. Im getting organised anyway. At the moment i am loving pureeing all these different fruit and veggies and storing them in the freezer....the novelty of pureeing will wear off though i know LOL but giving my baby good healthy nutritious food prepared by me is driving me at the moment....but see all those ready made baby foods in the supermarket, they do look so easy.... Anyway, last night i pureed some apples yum yumI ordered my linen for the Mary Wigham SAL last week only to get an email back saying it was out of stock and i'll have to wait a couple of weeks. So disappointed!

Busy day

Had a busy, productive, good day today. I hung out 2 loads of washing, then we went to church, then the 3 of us went and had lunch outside at a nice restaurant that has outside heaters (because the hot weather has gone), came home and baked a banana loaf, brought my washing in, put my washing away, put another load in, emptied the dishwasher, washed and sterilised bottles. Tonight i plan on sitting on my butt, scoffing my banana loaf, watching the apprentice final on tv and stitching....of course that plan involves Caleb being a good boy and going to bed early!

So, now Caleb' s sampler is finished i could work on one of my many wips (oh so many wips) but then i read Hazel's blog and now i just have to start this, which i know you've probably all seen by now but im always behind in blogworld. Gorgeous eh? Im gonna order my linen this week!

Barbara's comment on my last post made me laugh. Yes it was brave to let Caleb hold the sampler but believe me i was quick in taking the photo...and i was worried about him puking or drooling all over it!

So proud of my sampler

I finished it! Wooohoooo! Proudly presenting Caleb's sampler (a design by The Historical Sampler Company) and the first big ish piece finished by me! I had nothing stitched by me in my home...until now! I think Caleb approves!
We have had the nicest weather i can remember here in Scotland. Its been hot hot hot! The last week has been amazing and we have been making the most of it as we know it wont last

First 2009 finish!

Yes, its 23rd May and this is my first finish of the year. Having a baby really cut down my stitching time LOL It's LHN's Always and Forever stitched with DMC4230. I stitched most of this in the hospital when Caleb was zonked out. Its a gift for someone so ive covered up the initials and date in case they read my blog. I need to buy a frame for it now.

Thanks for all the comments regarding Caleb. He is doing fine! We have had a great healthy week. Im enjoying maternity leave and im filling up my weeks nicely now. On Mondays we go to a tinytalk class, Tuesdays are currently free but theres a mum and tots group i might check out next week, Wednesdays we have the baby clinic and then baby massage, Thursdays a mum and tots group in the morning, Fridays/Saturdays are free then Sunday is a church day. Its good to be out and about. If we stay in all day i find it too long and Caleb is much harder work.

This is bank holiday weekend. Yesterday was so sunny and lovely i took Caleb out for a 3hour walk. Today is grey and rainy. Glad to have DH at home for an extra day :-)

Worst week of my life

I havent blogged in a while. This week has been busy. The week before was the worst week of my life. No exaggeration. Two weeks ago today Caleb was fine but by 6am Sunday morning he woke with a really high temperature. We called NSH24, who sent us to the doctor, who sent us to hospital, where we stayed for 4days. It was terrible. He had a fever, his heart rate was over 200, he stopped feeding (very unusual for him), was put on a drip, and had a lumbar puncture amongst other horrible tests. Awful, awful, awful. Meningitis was suspected but thankfully that wasnt the case. Something showed up on his kidney ultrasound so it looks likely to be some sort of infection. He was on IV antibiotics for a week and now he is on oral antibiotics for 6months :-( We will have follow up appointments at the hospital in the next couple of months. He is totally back to his normal self, mum and dad on the other hand are still traumatised! The hospital was great, we had our own room and we were both able to stay with him. It was a scary time though, the first night in particular when he was really sick. Here he is with the IV thing in his arm, poor baby and here he is looking totally fine a few days later
Praise God for his recovery!

Catching up

Gosh its been a while since ive posted or read blogs. Will catch up! Regarding my previous post, the room is tidier you'll be pleased to know. Not super tidy, the weather has been too nice and when the weathers nice in Scotland you gotta make the most of it in case it doesnt happen again for a while LOL, but its tidier nevertheless.

So ive been busy out and about with Caleb and of course the inlaws were back for their final 10days here before returning to Canada yesterday. They were sad to leave.

Caleb is doing great. He has grown so much and those tiny baby days seem like ages ago now. He sleeps like an angel and all night which is amazing! Here we are

Ive been stitching too. Some more progress on his birth sampler which is nearly finished

And a new start, LHN's Always and Forever. Now i said i wouldnt start anything new until Caleb's sampler was finished but i couldnt resist (you know how it is) and its going to be a gift for someone so theres a date i need it done by. I love the colours of the chart but to buy one skein of the silk would be £5...err im on maternity leave i cant afford that, so i got a variegated DMC instead for 67p and i love the colour (DMC 4230)

Now my visitors have gone life can get back to normal and i'll get round to reading all my favourite blogs again :-)

Shaming myself into action

This, im embarassed to say, is my spare room. I am posting this picture to shame myself into doing something about it....this weekend. I can honestly say it has never been this untidy. Its all clean laundry i must point out but it needs put away!! We dump everything in this room and shut the door so visitors will never know LOL This Easter weekend DH is home Friday and Monday so i'll have baby-free time...tidy Cheryl tidy!!!!

Anyone doing anything nice for Easter? I'll be tidying (obviously) but am also meeting some friends for a walk this afternoon and on Sunday after church we have a 1st birthday party. Sure other things will crop up too.

Happy Easter!