WOYWW....

Please help yourself to a face mask before you go any further.

I know there will be some who call by here to check up on me every week but today you venture on at your own risk.  Over the weekend we were called out to help care for the twins....their daddy and both the twins were being sick at the same time and bless her poor Shell just didn't have enough hands to cope....This b****** Norovirus is an awful thing. 

One of the poorly babes  :-(

Lots of cuddles needed.

 

 Late on Monday afternoon my darling other hubby and I also went down with the bug.  :-(

I have no crafting on my desk to show you today as frankly there has been none done so I'm just sharing my gorgeous birthday crafty goodies.....but of course they are all still at the stroking stage as yet!

Aren't they just wonderful?  I have been really spoilt....now all I need to do is to get better so I feel like using some of it.  Thanks for calling by today....I'm not promising to do much blog visiting til I feel better but before you leave will you please wash your hands cos I don't want anyone else feeling like this.

Friday's smile

I seem to have so many things that has happened in the last week that has made me smile.  

My birthday was celebrated with my darling hubby taking the day off  from work so we could enjoy some quality time together including lunch out  :-)  In the evening the men had a football match to go to so Jo joined me with my gorgeous three children, my son's finance and my wonderful 5 little grandchildren.....we had just the best evening ever with lots of fun, giggles, birthday cake and our sitting room was filled with love....who could ask for more?

Hubby and I have been sorting out the attic....lots of bags full of those things you just might want one day but never do have been taken to the charity shop or tip and bags full of teddies, dolls and our children's toys have been sorted and handed over for them to keep in their own homes if so wished.  One of my pictures today is off little Steve playing with just a few of his mummy's teddies.....she used to have 100s and kept records of them all sat on the shelves in her bedroom  :-)

I have a feeling he has the same love of bears that his mummy had but I just know some of her bears will be put well away from the children because I know they still hold very special memories to her [and me too].

The other pic I'm sharing today is the latest feltie I've just finished.  Her name is Rose and she is now waiting over in our blog shop for someone to adopt her

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Annie x

WOYWW....

I'm glad you've called in cos I have something to share with you.

It was my birthday yesterday and I would really love it if you would all enjoy a glass with me to celebrate.

I have put a few pics below of the cards I've been making this week.

I finished off and mounted the little Christmas trees you saw last week to make one batch of cards and then set to to design a few more....

I had an idea in mind so I made a pattern first....can you see what it is yet?

I cut the bodies out from some brown woollen fabric I'd cut off when shortening the hem on a skirt...waste not want not eh? Then I cut out bright red hearts and bond a webbed them to the fronts.

I mounted these on some ivory linen fabric thet I picked up from the card boot sale a few weeks back....another bargain

A bit of machine embroidery later.....

...A yellow beak, white eyelets and black seeding beads for eyes and hey presto...

...that's another 10 cards made  :-)

I now struggle to hand write my Christmas cards because of my arthritis but I do my best to hand make them all to make up for it.  :-)

I hope you've enjoyed a glass of wine with me today and enjoyed seeing my first 2 batches of Christmas cards.  The other thing I thought you'd like to see was a little of the magic of nature this week.

Jack frost had been out dusting the cobwebs that the friendly spiders had spun.....magical or what?

Have a great week.  Leave me a little message and I will do my best to call by to say hello.....hic hic

Hugs,

Annie x

Friday's smile...

Now most of you will know that on a Friday I try to find something positive or funny to make you smile each week well, this week I have a wobbly toddler [or rather the results of it!], a toddler with a fetish, a toddler reaching new heights, a toddler who's face Nanny Annie takes the blame for and a totally chilled out toddler.  So which one will I start with?

a totally chilled out toddler....just lay on his tummy watching cbeebies....Sam is such a happy boy.

a wobbly toddler [or rather the results of it!]....ouch!  You can see the bump on Lexi's forehead.....just one of about 4 bumps she had on Tuesday this week.....It's the age of the beast!  She is trying to run before she is hardly walking!

 a toddler with a fetish....Sam has a thing about little rubber ducks!  He likes to carry them round the house with him ....even a pink one will do!

a toddler who's face Nanny Annie takes full blame for ....Steve did rather enjoy the chocolate frog and isn't that what baby wipes were made for?

a toddler reaching new heights .....enough said!!  Lexi is learning her body parts and as you can see she knows where her nose is now  :-)....one for the album eh?

Just a few snaps for those blogging aunties out there to make you smile for the weekend.  Hope you all have a good one.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW update and thanks to Jozart...

I know it's not a brilliant photo but I'm sure you can see the difference the red inner mount makes.....I love it.

Thanks so much to JoZart for the brilliant idea too.  I have carefully mitred the corners on pieces of card in the perfect colour and this really lifts the poppies in the picture.  The main mount is a properly cut picture mount so it just needed a little colour added to the centre.  I'm thrilled with the result Jo so thatnks very much for the idea....why didn't I think of that?  :-)

WOYWW...

Happy Wednesday to all my WOYWW friends.  It's just a quick post from me this week cos I have two little special friends here for an extra day with Nanny Annie today.

On my desk today is...

The, nearly finished, latest poppy picture.  I have now machine embroidered it and added black beads to the poppies.  I have put it under the mount here but want to buy a red inner mount to fit it because I feel that would set it off better.....if anyone knows of a good on line site that sells picture mounts could you please let me know.

I've just enlarged part of it for you to see it in more detail.

Here is Lexi modelling a pair of slippers her Great Aunty Jo made for her....they are really warm and cosy but she refuses to keep anything on her feet....we are now looking for little slipper socks to see if those will work.....she is only a size 2 1/2 so it is really hard to find anything small enough.

A quick peep into my knitting basket....I'm knitting a scarf to match a pair of Lexi's mittens.

 I have started  working on an idea I've got for my Christmas cards.....I've ironed Vylene to the back of some gorgeous dyed green fabric I bought at the quilt exhibition on Sunday to stiffen it [my last post shows some pics I took there].  I then machine embroidered it, cut it up into Christmas tree shapes and have then hand embroidered some stars on it with some of the fab random dyed thread I bought at the exhibition too [......actually this is the thread Jo bought for me as part of an early birthday present....thanks Jo I love it].

Well folks that's it from me for today.  If you leave me a comment I will do my best to pay you a return visit in between nappy changing, playing, feeding etc etc

Hugs,
Annie x

Fab Sunday fun....

Jo and I were football widows yesterday afternoon because the men had gone to watch Shrewsbury town win at home.  So we had an afternoon of fun at the Quilters exhibition in Shrewsbury.  The hall was filled with the most amazing works of art in Quilt form and there were several trade stands around the hall too....so you just have to buy don't you?

I though you might like to see a few of the snaps I took while while we were walking round ooing and awing....

 

Think these quilts speak for themselves.....aren't they stunning?.....and these were just a few of them.  Jo took some snaps too so you may get to see others on her blog at some point.

These are the new buys I picked up from Batiks n Beads stand.  I could have bought a lot more but you know what it's like girls...A girl can only stroke so many new crafty buys can't she?  I have a feeling it will we be while til I can bring myself to cut into it  :-)  I may just have to go to their web site and buy some more  :-)

Fab dyed felts and randomly dyed threads.  Jo bought other colours so I'm pretty sure we will be sharing our new buys.  :-)

Don't we always?  :-)

Friday's smile...

Happy Friday to all that drop by here for a smile.

My pics today are of our 5 little Grandchildren...

There were three in the bed and the little one.....would have said something if he wasn't enjoying his bottle quite so much!

Phoebe has now had her second morning at school and loves it but when she got home this week this was the conversation the girls had...
Lulu says...How was school?  Did you play with your new friends?
Phoebe says...Yes, but you're still my best friend.    :-) :-) :-)

This one reminds me of the song they used to play in our children's special school assemblies

.....'One more step along the road....'

The twins have now got new forward facing car seats....Don't think the idea is to restrain them in the house though Shell!  :-) :-) :-)

And lastly...This is the sort of transport you need when you've broken your leg!

Just as well Sam has a helpful big twin sister to drive him around eh?

Hope you have enjoyed my pics today and all have a happy weekend ahead of you.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to one and all.  It's another of those 'I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours' days for the WOYWW gang.
.

It's been a week of dumfing for me in between my sewing jobs....I've started a new large poppy picture  :-)

This is where I've been creating.....sat at my craft table dumfing with all my yummy wools, threads and fabrics around me.

This is who was sat across the table from me on Monday!.....me, with my dumfer, and Jo with her sewing machine this week.

This is the chaos organised work space across the other side of my room with all a few of my machines.  My 'to do' rail filled on Monday while we were having fun  and, as I had the twins yesterday, there will be steam coming out of the top of these machines while I plough my way through my sewing mountain today.  The frame on the floor is the one I hope to be filling with my new poppy picture.

This is the stage I have got to with my poppy picture.....  A wet felted background mounted onto a pre felt base with more wool rovings and threads dumfed into it.  I will be machine embroidering details and will probably add hand embroidery and a few beads to it too.....watch this space!

If only you could smell this you would all be round for tea tonight.  :-)  It's a sign of autumn and colder days I guess when we get out the slow cookers but I do love the aromas in the house while they are cooking.....beef casserole in here today......yum yum







Well folks that's it from me today.  If you'd like to leave me a little hello message I will do my best to pay you a return visit in between my jobs.  Thanks for calling by.  Have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

p.s. for those wondering how the little wounded soldier is now....I don't think he even notices the plaster on his leg now thankfully.  We had a great day of fun and giggles on Tuesday.  :-)

A little wounded soldier!...

After telling you all on Friday how those mischievous monkeys escaped and managed to climb the stairs whist backs were turned and got away unscathed it seems really unjust that whilst just crawling our little munchkin has broken his leg!  He was suddenly unable to put his weight on it and had only been crawling and playing in their play tent.  Shell took him to A and E last night and bless him he ended up like this...

He has been back to fracture clinic this morning and the consultant isn't certain he has broken it but wants it left in his gorgeous green plaster cast for a couple of week just in case!  Sam isn't particularly bothered by it at all and certainly isn't in any pain with it so I have a feeling it will bother poor Shell more than him......kids eh?  Never a dull moment with twins is there?

A mother of twins needs nerves of steel!

Firstly I must wish that much older sister of mine a really happy birthday...

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to Jo,

Happy birthday to you,

It's not every day you are 21 again is it?
[....well, that and another 40 more but shhhhhh don't tell any one will you? ].  Age is just a number and in her case it's a number 6 bigger than mine  :-)....for those that don't know I do love her very much and it's just a standing joke we have always grown up having...honest  :-)


As always I do my best to find you a snap or two to make you smile on a Friday and there are some of you who commented last week that they missed pics of the twins so today I'm sharing pics of Nanny's hair salon!

As you know they come to play with me on a Tuesday while Mummy teaches.  When Mummy came to collect them this week she commented that her hubby was away for the night with work so we decided to bath the twins here to help.  They would just need their milk and to be put to bed when they got home.  They both needed their hair washing and as you know they each have a good head of hair [they have already had 4 hair cuts!]  so it needed drying too.

As you can see Lexi is the real little lady and just loves being fussed and having her hair dried.

Sam had other ideas!

Sorry about the blurred pic....it's really not easy to take moving pics!

[...but I will add no child was harmed during the filming of these pics!  :-)  ]

The other thing I am sharing is a text Shell sent me this week.....

My heart is in my mouth!  Sat in lounge and I can hear twins giggling in what I think is hall!  Suddenly I think hang on it sounds like they're in the wet room [downstairs]....I run through....no they are both upstairs!!! Have climbed the stairs themselves and are having a whale of a time up there!!  I feel sick!!  Thought I'd shut the stair gate but it hadn't caught on the catch....panic over!  Both downstairs now!!

Can't you just imagine them scheming when they realised the gate would open?  Lexi would have said 'Come on Sam lets go and play with the toys in our bedrooms!'..... and yes I do mean Lexi cos she is the instigator of any mischief.  :-)  You really do need nerves of steel with twins...and of course eyes in the back of your head!  No harm done but I bet the stair gate will be padlocked in future!

I know you will all be sympathetic even if you are now grinning at the little monkey's adventure.  I'm sure we have all been there....I know I have!

Have a great weekend and keep smiling.
Hugs,
Annie x

WOYWW...

The weeks all pass so quickly don't they?  Here we are at yet another of my favourite day's of the week when I can call in on lots of my blogging friends to see what they have been up to during the week.

Thankfully Monday the weather was better and Jo was able to join me for fun.....we did seem to do more talking about it rather than doing it this week though  :-)  We have been making plans for a couple of craft fairs we hope to have tables at before Christmas and on my table today are the latest 4 little poppy pictures I have put into mounts ready for selling.

I must admit I do rather like them in these red and cream double mounts and think they will sell quickly....if they don't I just might frame them up and hang them on my walls.  :-)

The only other picture I have to share with you today is the batch of yummy bread rolls I've just made for lunch......please help yourselves to one but be careful as they are still warm.  :-)

That's all from me today.  Hope you like the new autumn look to my blog today.....those are the crab apples on the tree just outside my kitchen window....aren't they gorgeous colours?
Thanks for calling by today.  If you leave me a little hello comment I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I am able.
Hugs,
Annie x

What a whopper!.....

We has a surprise visit from, just the biggest, dragonfly I've seen yesterday.  We had popped into one of our local garden centres for a bit of lunch and whilst standing at the far end of the cafe about 20 yards from an open door a huge dragonfly flew in, flew the full length of the cafe and landed on my husband's trouser leg!.....amazing or what?  Of course I just had to snap it to share it with you before it was safely carried back out to freedom......