Yiota's cross stitch

Ive been away from my blog all month, its been a busy one and i just havent had the time or inclination to sit at the computer recently. 

I was contacted by Yiota recently about reviewing one of her cross stitch kits. I was thrilled to! Who doesnt love a new start?! So, after perusing her website i picked this one. "Cottage by the Sea." Pretty huh? I want one of my spare rooms to be beach themed and running up my stairs i already have a selection of my favorite beach pictures, so this one would be perfect. It reminds me of Greece, one of my favourite holiday destinations.

Yiota's kits are lovely and included the chart, a needle, pre-wound threads and evenweave. Personally, im not a fan of madeira threads, i find them quite coarse, but the chart includes a DMC conversion if you are so inclined.  Speaking of the chart, its great. Big, clear symbols and easy to follow; so important when you have so much block stitching. It would make a good first time big project for someone. It's a big piece and i will be sure to mark off on my chart where i've stitched. I did make a small start in the centre, as suggested in the instruction page (which is a very helpful addition to the kit as well) but it was so small it didnt even warrant a picture!

In conclusion, judging by this kit, i would highly recommend Yiota's kits; so pretty, well presented and good value for money. Go check out her website!

Jubilee

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Loved the celebrations! I really enjoyed that concert in front of the Palace (on the tv, we weren't there). How amazing were the scenes that were projected onto the front of the palace (especially when Madness were playing on the roof)? Loved how they lit it up red, white and blue after the fireworks. Fab!

And to the anti-monarchy folk out there....boo hisss! All that talk that people shouldn't be born into the role and we should elect a head of state instead of having a royal family. No no no. I dont like you your opinions as much as i don't like the Scottish Nationalists. I love the Royal family. Not in an obsessed nutty kinda way. Just in a, they make me proud to be BRITISH, kind of way. I love all the pomp and circumstance and the history....i have a BA Honours in History, how can i not be interested in the Royals both past and present. And lets face it, they must bring in a huge revenue in tourism (queue all the bitter Scots *but its only for London* blah blah blah)

My friend Janet threw a Jubilee party. Red, white and blue food, balloons, decorations and guests :-) Look at this Jubilee Pavlova!

Janet's Jubilee Pavlova

We even managed a family picture before we left. Shame Aaron isnt looking!

My proud mum moment

Sometimes you just really need to hear something like this :-)

May catch up

Well here's the last few weeks in pictures! 

I was a bridesmaid at my bestfriends wedding (im far right). It was a lovely day and the bride was stunning (although a touch of the bridezilla appeared, but i'll forgive her for that ;-) )

We had some truely glorious super hot weather for a whole week. Glasgow was the hottest place in the UK one day. That doesn't happen often!

I have become an Independent Usborne Organiser and will be selling Usborne children's books. I love Usborne books, they're fab. Their sticker books are some of my favourites. Whilst on this note, if you live in the Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire vicinity and would like to host an Usborne book party for your friends, im your girl! Its good fun and there are good benefits for you, the host! 

                                                          

So that's about all for now. I'll be back soon to share a proud mum moment i had today but im too tired to write about now!

Stitching for Aaron

How about that? Some stitching for my stitching blog! I've started Aarons birth sampler; a chart from The Historical Sampler Company. It is such an easy stitch which is great for the evenings when im too tired to do anything but sit on the coach and zone out to another Grey's Anatomy episode. I dont even have to look at the chart much - perfect :-)

Thanks for the comments re. Caleb, he seems better now. Hoping for a healthy week! We're off to London on Friday for one of my best friends wedding and I am a bridesmaid! Exciting! My bridesmaid dress is gorgeous!

Bleugh

I was touched to read your comments on my last post regarding Caleb, thank-you all so much. Unfortunately we are in the midst of another infection. The paediatrician decided he was fine to go back to his old meds on Thursday and boy, was she wrong. Saturday we were back to square 1; high temperature, sore back, hurts to pee etc etc. Its been pretty stressful. So far, we have managed to avoid the hospital although there has been a trip to the emergency doctor and a few calls to NHS24 which, by the way, is an amazing service. For all the grumbles you hear about our health service, i think it is amazing that we have it, and for free. When you hear about people in other countries who cannot get serious health conditions treated because they cant afford it, it makes me truely grateful to live here!

On top of all that we had a few days of Aaron hitting high temperatures after his immunisations. My gosh, parenting is so hard at times, not to mention stressful, exhausting, overwhelming and worrying too. I just hate to see them sick, it makes me feel very helpless.

Anyway, i need to finish on a more cheerier note. Im sitting here looking out into the garden and here are my lovely potted plants :-) I cannot wait to get things actually planted in the garden but we're waiting on the developers putting drainage in and re-turfing it.

My poor boy

April 18th - April 23rd are the kind of days we want to forget but ones which will be scarred on our memories forever.

You know it's not going to be good news when a phone call starts with "Dont panic but....." and then on to tell me that Caleb's fever had hit plus 40degrees, he had started to shake and was on route to the doctors surgery.

He had taken unwell at nursery on the Tuesday and we took him to see the doctor Wednesday morning and he'd got some meds etc. Whilst my mum was watching him on Wednesday afternoon and i was at another appointment with Aaron, my sister phoned to tell me he'd got worse. I met him them at the doctors surgery and boy, what a scary sight. He looked terrible, was trembling uncontrollably and talking jibberish. The practice nurse and the GP stripped him down, started bathing him with tepid water to get his temperature down and phoned an ambulance.

Caleb has a reflux in his bladder which basically means when he pees some shoots back up to his kidneys. We discovered this when he got sick as a baby and ended up in hospital. Its managed by antibiotics and there have been no infections since he was 5 months old, until now and this was a bad one. 

He ended up in hospital for 6 days/5 nights. He was on a drip at one point, and having intravenous antibiotics. My poor boy. Here he is looking a bit better, waiting to have an ultrasound on his kidneys (he loved the wheelchair). The worst bits were definitely getting the cannulas put in to his veins. He had to have that done 4 times as they kept coming out. It was awful, he was hysterical and it was horrible to watch him so upset.

He's home now and getting back to normal. We will have follow up appointments and tests to come and we are praying that the damage to his kidneys isnt too severe.