WOYWW.....

It's been another week of celebrating here.  Our youngest daughter Amy was 29 this week and Sunday we all got together for lunch at Shell's new house....I do so love family together times. 

Here on the right is a quick snap of the 5 little ones while we were all together.....

....haven't they all grown since the snap on the left?  :-)

Now I know you have really come to see what I've been busy with this week so here is a snap of Jo helping me to arrange the stress busting, house moving squares I've knitted [160 in total now!!!]....

We are both Librans so to have to make decisions about anything really isn't easy for either of us :-) ...do we go with a boy one and a girl one?, a pastel one and a bright one?....Ooer decisions decisions.  In the end I decided two fairly random coloured ones would be best.

Well?  What do you think?

I've crocheted the big squares together and then went round the outside with 3 rows to tie some of the colours together.  This is the first one finished and the good news is I still have another to complete.

I decided that maybe, just maybe our house move was waiting for the blankets to be finished....Hoping now that I will have news to share soon  :-)

The other things I want to share with you are the two little dolls that Jo [hers is on the left] and I [mine is the one on the right] have now completed for  Margaret over at Glitter and Glue.  They made friends yesterday as soon as I had finished mine and are now winging their way together to Margaret.....hope they arrive safely :-)

If you'd like to knit a little doll for Margaret please pop over to her blog here at Glitter and Glue and help to raise funds for her charity.

Well folks, that's all from me for today.  I have an extra play day with my little twinnies today so it will be later today or tomorrow that I will be able to pay you a return visit but if you leave me a little hello comment I will do my best to pop over to say hello.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles...... week 66

We have now reached 66 weeks of wonderful happy postings.....thanks to all that have taken part.  Some pop in most weeks to join in and some only share now and then but I love them all.  They make us smile and lift the spirits....and that's got to be good for us hasn't it?.....keep up the good work girls.

This week I am featuring Sylvia's blog with the latest addition to the new grandbabies in the blogging world....a huge welcome to little Savannah....isn't she just gorgeous?  Thanks for sharing Sylvia.

I've been filling my days this week with positive thoughts to lift the 'moving house' gloom that has been hanging over us and have really needed to look no further than the gorgeous colours that surround us here in our garden.  I have just popped outside and snapped away with my camera to share just a few of them with you....

I dare you not to be smiling now. :-)  

There are blue bells, white bells, forget me nots [ my dad's fav flower and it would have been his 94th birthday on 17th April ], lilac, crab apple blossom, miniature daffs, pink double tulips, rosemary in full bloom and in the middle is the gorgeous raspberry ripple azalea that Jo bought us for our 32nd Wedding anniversary on April 17th [yes we got married on Dad's birthday :-) ].  What gorgeous colours eh?  I have so much to smile about.  I hope you will find a snap or two of what's making you smile this week and link them below to share yours with us.

WOYWW.....

Hello to you all on this Wednesday fun day.  We had a lovely Easter weekend....hope you did too.

So? what have I got to share with you today?

My temporary 'to do' rail has had some sewing going on this week...

• A much loved gent's coat  on the left edge on the pic needing lots of patching and darning.
• My first bridesmaid's dress for this year....I love the colour :-)

What's this in my knitting basket?....it's not a stress busting house moving knitted square [though there have been a few completed this week!  :-) ].

It's the body for a little doll for Margaret over at Glitter and Glue.  She put a call out for knitters to help raise funds for her charity by knitting little dolls.....If you can knit and are willing to make her a little doll then please click on her link and check out the details......a free doll pattern is waiting for you there [and it's pretty easy knitting ].

The other pic I'm sharing with you today is one I took of the gorse bushes up over the top of the Stiperstones whilst enjoying a day out with my darling hubby on Easter Monday.....isn't it gorgeous?  Such a gorgeous bright yellow and it's everywhere you look.

We went to Brockhampton Estate in Herefordshire....a lovely National Trust property with beautiful grounds and a Medieval house to enjoy.  They also had Medieval music and dancing there while we were there.....you could have also joined in with the dancing too if you wanted to :-)

I found this on Pinterest over the weekend.....I'm working on positive thinking to lift the failed house moving gloom....and it's really working :-)  It's going to be a good week.

Thanks for calling by today.  If you leave me a little hello message to let me know you've called I will pop by to see what you've been up to this week when I get a minute.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles......week 65

Here we are at another Friday when I feature one of the wonderful posts that was linked in last week and I share my smile for the week.....but this week you get three for the price of one :-)

This week my featured posts could all be labelled 'New life'.......

• Janet's gorgeous new little Grandson
• Laura's new seedlings  and
• Sylvia's gorgeous new calves.

Isn't new life just wonderful in whatever form it takes?  Thanks girls for sharing your wonderfully happy posts.

My smile for this week comes in the form of a cartoon that Shell sent me this week.

I just love it....not that my house ever really gets that bad of course :-)

.....but when you have just spent hours organising and hiding away all the fully packed boxes and making rooms presentable for a second estate agent to take photos to put the house on their books you do tend to notice just how many little angel finger prints have been left around your home :-) 

[It's just a sign of happy times of course].

Lets hope the two estate agents between them can find us someone who has the money to buy our house before we lose our little bungalow.  :-)

I hope my funny made you smile this week and you have a wonderful Easter weekend full of happy times.  Please share your smiles and link them below and at some point I will pop over to check them out.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Hello to all on this gorgeous sunny Wednesday.  For those few that still don't know what WOYWW is all about then please go to the Stamping Ground where our wonderful Queen of Snoop, Julia will explain all about it.  We are such a friendly group and many wonderful friendships have been made because of it so please feel you can join in to have fun.

For those that have called in this week to see what's been going on here at Sewing by Annie's I have snapped a few pics to show you that there really is a sewing room here and that it is still in full working order ....even if it's rather temporarily set up ready for the move that as yet still hasn't happened.

• Top left...my computerised machine and my overlocker
• Bottom left....my industrial machine
• Right....my blind hemmer

As I say my machines are still in full use but all my work surfaces have been removed from the walls and the machines are perched on make do surfaces now.....just didn't want any of you thinking I was sat here with my feet up  :-)

And this was my table on Monday....in full creative flow showing you what Jo and I get up to on a Funday Monday when the twins are on school holidays with their mummy.

....yessssss it was full of fabrics and fun.  :-)

Jo even caught me in full flow being creative making some mug rugs [like coasters made in fabric].

Please note the plaster on my finger....yes my kitchen knife was very sharp!!!

And here are the results....6 quilted mug rugs using patchwork and applique skills plus a wadded fabric holder to keep them all in.......dare I say these would look good in a new house!!!

Hope you have enjoyed your visit today.  It's been really good therapy to be rather more creative this week and share my creations with you all.  If you leave me a little hello comment I will do my best to pop over to yours to see what you've been up to this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 64

Oh how the weeks fly by.  I have had so much support from all you wonderful blogging friends and I would really like to thank you all.  It's a difficult time but as you all say we will get there in the end.....just a little battered and bruised maybe :-)

Thanks to all who shared their happy posts again last week.  It is good therapy to spend a little time at least every week looking for the good things in life and once found if they are then shared others benefit too so it's a win win situation  :-)  I am featuring Jo's post with her Field of Hope full of those wondrous daffodils.....she is such a good friend and I would just like to say there should be more Jos in this world....Thanks buddy x

My happy pic I'm sharing today is one of our birthday girl of yesterday.....it doesn't seem 4 years since this little poppet arrived.  She is just like her mummy was as a little one [and yes I do remember you being a chatter box just like Lulu Amy  :-) ].  She brings us such a lot of smiles with her  'Nanny, do you know?.....s' and it's only right that she should steal the show here today.  :-)

Hope you had a wonderful day Lulu and your pirates baking party on Saturday is full of fun and games with all your special friends.

We had a family gathering with a birthday cake [ one of many lol ] at Shell's new house on Wednesday night....I do so love being surrounded by my wonderful family and can't thank them enough at the mo for all their love and support.....love you all to the moon and back :-)

Well folks, that's it from me for this week.  Please share your happy posts by linking them below and I promise I will call by to see what's making you smile this week.

Hugs,

 Annie x

WOYWW....

Hello to all who pop by each week to catch up on a little of my world.....it pretty much fell through this week when we were told that the lady at the bungalow we have set our hopes on moving to had put it back on the market cos we are unable to complete the sale thanks to our buyers but getting their mortgage!!! Life sucks as they say....and none of it is of our doing :-(

The viewing we had on Sunday went very well though.....they really would love to buy our house so all is not lost...it's just back to 'the waiting game' [for someone to find the money to buy the house] and 'the hoping game' [that the bungalow hasn't been bought in the meantime!].

So for me it was back to the knitting needles after that much older sister of mine and little old me treated ourselves to a bit of retail therapy on Saturday afternoon....she bought material and I bought some fun wool.....

It's Robin Paintbox double knitting wool and don't you just love the colours?  It's really lovely wool to knit with too so I shall be having fun with it.

As you can see the piles at the back of the table are still growing well too.  :-)

I have also had a few customers this week....the first really since Christmas!  This  b****** house moving lark really has killed my business....it's been a case of the minds willing but the for sale sign seems to have put them off!!.....roll on better times all round eh?

At least I have a rail full of sewing to keep me busy this week :-) :-) :-)

There you go folks....another 'not very exciting week' from me but I do do my best for you. :-)

Thanks for calling by....I will do my best to pop over to see what you've been up to if you'd like to leave me a little hello message to let me know you've called by.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles...week 63

I would like to thank all of you who took the time out last week to share their smiles with us.  You are such a lovely bunch....I sure have appreciated your efforts more than ever this last week.

I would like to feature you all but this week the one that made me chuckle the most just had to be the stage by stage snaps Elizabeth took of her good friend Kathy trying to open her parcel....they really don't make things easy do they when it comes to parcel opening?  :-)  I've had many moments like this and it really made me laugh to imagine Elizabeth watching and recording the struggle for us  :-)  Thanks Elizabeth.

 It's def been a week where I have been needing to search for my smiles to get me through a difficult time.  I like to be in control of my life and what happens in it and selling our house is proving to be a time when others seem to have more control of things than us.  We set up everything with our solicitor a year ago now and if it was just down to us we would have moved before Christmas.  Other people have not been as prepared and organised as us and I hate the effects strangers have had on our lives.....just hope the long wait will be worth it in the end.

So I have been on Pinterest and these are just a few of the funny sayings I found and would like to share with you....they made me smile and I hope they do you too.  :-)

Please click on the pic to enlarge for a closer look  :-)  There are so many funny sayings on Pinterest.

Please share you smiles with us by linking yours below and I promise I will pop over to check them out asap.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Hello all on this beautiful Spring day. Yesssssss I'm actually feeling better thanks to all the lovely comments, kind thoughts and prayers you've all sent me (think the antibiotics helped too). You are such a lovely bunch. Hope you like the new Spring header for my blog....it's a photo of the gorgeous flowering cherry that's in our garden right now and I just had to share it with you all.

A quick update on the house move....we have put it back on the market this week. Our buyers are a long way off from getting their mortgage at the mo and even when they submit their end of year accounts at the end of April there is no guarantee of them getting what they need so we really had no choice. We really don't want to lose yet another bungalow that we have set our hearts on.....please keep everything crossed for us.

...latest news is that we have already got a viewing on Sunday with a couple who really want to buy the house.....fingers crossed.

So? What is on my work desk today?

Of course I have a huge pile of knitted squares now.....up to 129 at last count!! 120 of them have been joined together in 2 x 2 squares now and I've crocheted around them in white....I love the effect.  :-)

I was running out of nice cheery colours in yarn so these three new balls just jumped in my basket at Charlies at the weekend  :-)....I may have a while to knit yet after all!

 The only other thing I have to share with you today are the gorgeous flowers that are coming out all round the garden here....stunning or what?  Really wish you could smell that magnolia.  Enjoy.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today and will leave me a little hello comment to say you've been.  I must say a huge sorry to a few of you last week who I just couldn't get round to....I really was feeling pretty rough all week so hope you forgive me.  I hope to call in on as many as possible later today to make up for it.

Hugs,
Annie x