Even on a bad week there is always lots to smile about...

Firstly I want to say a huge thank you to all who called by on Wednesday and left me get well messages. I really enjoyed browsing about 110 of the WOYWW desks.....what a clever lot you all are.  I'm pleased to say that I do feel rather better this morning......it's a b****** horrid thing this Norovirus and I really do hope none of you get it.  We seem to have had a week of headaches, high temperatures, sickness and diarrhoea....yuck!

Now I am going to share with you some of the many pics that have made me smile while I've been poorly.

My youngest daughter, Amy, has had a fun week with her three getting ready for Halloween.....

They have baked scary buns,

made scary masks,

made a wonderful pumpkin 

and dressed up to have trick or treat fun.

Thankfully the twins are now starting to feel rather better and you can see they are pretty good at re hydrating after their nasty bug.

Lexi thinks their toy garage is a good place to learn to climb mountains!

My son Mark's fiance has graduated......and we are so very proud of you Gina [don't they make a lovely couple?]

And to top off my week my eldest daughter, Michelle, has turned designer and has very proudly made some cosy toes to keep the twins warm in their push chair....following in mother's footsteps it seems  :-)

It seems even on the worst of weeks there is always a lot to smile about.  I really hope my pics make you smile too and you have a great weekend.

Hugs,

Annie xxxx

Bumper cars anyone?.....

"I'm faster than you!"

When you have two of everything it makes life more fun.  My Friday's smile post this week is just a quick snap of the munchkins having fun on the tiled kitchen floor in their baby walkers.....and can't they make them go!  :-)

Today is Jo and G's 38th Wedding Anniversary so I would like to wish them all the best and hope they both have a really special day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs,

Annie x

Friday's smile...

It's obvious that our little munchkins have different tastes when it comes to food.....

Sam likes duck and Lexi is a fish eater  :-)

It's good to see they share nicely.  I hope my snap has made you smile. Happy Easter weekend to you all.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....and a quick hello from the Munchkins

Today is another day of special Nanny Annie time with the twins for me so this is all set up to post on auto...fingers crossed it works.  I will aim to drop in to see what you've been up to during their nap times.

Hello to all our on line aunties from the Munchkins

I am doing a quick 'show and tell' of the crafty things I have been up to this week for you to see...

Here are two of the high chair pads I made over the weekend for the twins.  They are such tiny tots that they need a little pad under them and one at their backs to help them fill the high chairs.  I designed and made 4 so they had some here with us and 2 for at home...apparently they work a treat so they will be trying mine out later  :-)

[sorry about the poor lighting in the pic].

This is Sam's little waistcoat that I've been knitting for what seems like ages but finally finished over the weekend.

I want to add this quick snap of our Magnolia that greets all my customers as they come to the door.  It's really beautiful at the mo and I just wish this was smelly vision cos the scent it is giving off is amazing. It's not a huge bush but was grown by my Dad so it's very special to me....he died April 5th 1989 so he is very much in my thoughts at the mo.

What a difference a couple of days makes.  If you check out my last post you will see how the flowering cherry blooms have all opened out in the gorgeous sunshine we have had since the weekend.....I love it  :-)

It's Parmesan and sun dried tomato rolls today if you fancy one for your lunch....please help yourselves before you shoot over to visit Julia, our organiser and Queen of Wednesdays..  :-)







Edit....Postman has just delivered our badges....thanks so much Julia.  We will wear them with pride.  :-) :-) :-) :-) 

Friday's smile...

I was asked to share a few snaps of the special day I had this Wednesday.  For those that don't know, my eldest daughter has started her phased back to work days and I shall be sharing the care of her gorgeous twins on the days when she works with their other grandparents.  My days will start early at about 7 am and finish around 5.30 pm and I will be shutting up Sewing by Annie for the days they are here [the sewing can wait and these gorgeous babes will be all grown up before we know it...I don't plan to miss a moment of it   :-)].  

They like to take turns with the toys and equipment and smile and chuckle all day.  I've never known two more contented babies.  They are really easy to care for and I feel so blessed to be part of their care team......Thanks M and B for trusting your most precious belongings with me.

They love to stand so we have just bought a baby walker to keep here for them and as you can see Sam loves it.  We have done our best to equip our house with all the things they need cos you can imagine what it's like to pack everything they need to spend a day somewhere with two babies. 

[Two babies, two car seats, bag of changes of clothes, a days worth of sterilised bottles etc etc....believe me it's like moving house  :-) ]

'Independance rules ok'.  When you have two babies needing feeding you have to find ways round it.  They both hold their own bottles now and just need a little help if their bottles slip.

It was a beautiful afternoon so we even managed a walk....I'm such a proud Nanny and of course was desperate to show them off to the world.  As you can see the fresh air was just too much for them and for the third time during my day I managed to get them both to nap at the same time....it appears Nanny Annie hasn't lost her knack  :-)

I hope you have enjoyed my little show and tell and that they have managed to make you smile like they do me.  Thanks for calling by.  The weather is supposed to be sunny this weekend so lets hope we can all enjoy a couple of chill out days.  Keep smiling.

Hugs,

Annie x

Friday's smile.....

The health visitor visited Michelle to check out the twin's development and weigh them.  Lexi was over 12lb's and Sam is nearly 14lb so they are both doing very well.  Sam can now roll from his back to his front but then gets frustrated and Lexi's bilateral positional talipes [her feet were rather squashed while Michelle was carrying her and they were turned in just like her Mummy's were when she was born] is now so improved that she has been discharged by the physiotherapist.  

They have started having little tastes of food now too so the health visitor gave them some cups and Michelle got the camera out to capture their reactions :-)

'Ooer Nanny what are these strange things and what do we do with them?'

After a short while of exploration she then snapped this one....

'Oh!!!!!!.  I can't be bothered.  Just give me my bottle!'

What a lot little ones have to learn.

I hope these raised a smile for you today.  Hope each and every one of you stays well and has a really creative weekend.

Hugs,

Annie x

Your Friday's smile.......

I bet you're smiling now  :-)  Here is the twins having some tummy time.  What a lovely age they are now.....lots of chuckles and they only get a little grumpy when they are tired or hungry.  Such happy babies......long may it last.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Hugs,

Annie x

My Fridays smile....

Having had the awful week we have just had I wasn't sure that I could find you a pic this week to make you smile.

Yesterday we called in to the 'house of poorly' to drop off the turkey that they failed to have on Christmas day last week due to spending the day taking turns to care for a very poorly little girl in hospital.  We were greeted by something that I'm sure will put a smile on every face that sees this pic.

As you can see our little angel is feeling much better and she sent you this big smile to say thank you to each and every one of you that sent us kind thoughts and prayers.  She still has a cough but the Drs say she may have that for another couple of weeks but it is soooooooooo lovely to have our smiley little girl back.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend celebrating the arrival of the New Year.  Please let's all have one with better health and just a few less traumatic trips to hospital.

Hugs to all,

Annie x

WOYWW....

So?  Did the big man in red bring you all you asked for?

We didn't quite manage the Christmas we had planned cos more bad luck stepped in the way. Poor little Lexi was rushed to hospital last Thursday night struggling to breathe.  She was quickly diagnosed with Bronchiolitis.  

She needed oxygen tubes up her nose to help her to maintain her blood oxygen levels and a feeding tube because she was unable to suck and breathe.  Her Mummy or Daddy had to take it in turns to stay with her day and night and the Drs said that there was every chance Sam would catch it.  The back up team stepped in to help care for Sam at home and thankfully our little angel recovered well enough to come home Monday.....and so far Sam has caught a cold but so far so good and he is managing to fight it!

Here they are Monday having only just opened their Christmas presents on Monday....and as Shell says the best present is sitting in the pink chair  :-)  Mummy now has their cold and Daddy is suffering with his kidneys [probably from the lack of drinks whilst at the hospital cos they weren't allowed hot drinks in Lexi's room!].  I think they have had their share of bad luck now and really hope 2012 is a better one for them.

Here is a quick snap of the last minute knitting finished just in time for wrapping for those little darlings in the pic above. If you want a link to the pattern you will find it here...
http://twinsknit.blogspot.com/2009/01/spring-bunny.html
Its a brill site with lots of lovely patterns.

This is one of my wonderful presents....this one was bought for me by Sam and Lexi.....have a feeling they think they should keep Nanny Annie busy  :-)

And of course I can't sit idle so my latest project is a baby blanket using all these gorgeous colours....I like to find a white wool with flecks of colour in it and then use all the fleck colours to tone with it....fab colours eh?

Well folks is just leaves me to wish you all a very happy new year.  Hope you can all enjoy good health and can have many happy creative times between now and next year.

Much love to all.

Annie x

A double smile this week....

As you can see today Lexi and Sam have been playing dressing up all ready for the festive season.  I will let you decide today which one of these pics makes you smile the most.  You can have Mr and Mrs Santa or a pair of cheeky little pixies.   Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that 2012 brings you all you wish for yourselves. 

Hugs,

Annie x

Your Friday's smile.....

Now girls wouldn't you just love it if Santa filled your stockings like this?

These babies are certainly going to grow up with wonderful senses of humour. Can't you just imagine what Mummy will have them dressed as on school dress up days?  She has such a fun outlook on life.....I can't imagine where she gets it from   ;-)

It's our family Christmas get together this Sunday so our house will be filled with fun and laughter and ohhhhhh so much love this year.  Hope you all have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Annie x

The elves have been....

I had my little elves here Saturday morning to decorate the tree.  I keep my Christmas decorations separate so the little ones can be let loose to decorate Nanny's tree.  I have a tin full of knitties that adorn the tree each year.....the Santas were knit by my mum so even though each one is different [even though knitted from the same pattern!] my tree just wouldn't be the same without them.  As you can see we don't go for the colour co-ordinated sort of tree but ours is one full of memories and love.

Here you can see the elves at work....magical moments.  Their little brother slept through all the excitement  :-)

Their mummy has always been my big elf and she was in charge of the glass baubles so between them the finished result is just perfect  :-)

Our little visitors were joined by their little twinny cousins [Nanny was doing a bit of babysitting so their Mum and Dad could have an afternoon and evening off].  I fed the twins, Amy fed baby Steve and then we all enjoyed lunch together.....3 adults and 5 grandchildren....bliss.  Its what memories are made of.

As you can see here this babysitting of twins is such hard work  :-)  They were just as good as gold.  Granddad was able to put up the rest of the Christmas decorations and finish painting the bathroom while Nanny Annie was able to sit knitting while watching two beautiful sleeping babes.

When it comes to bed time you wouldn't find two more different babies though.  One is up with the larks in a morning and the other is awake with the owls at night.  Here you can see Lexi all ready for bed but as you can see she thinks otherwise [think she just doesn't want to miss anything :-) ].  Her brother is fast asleep in his cot!

It just wouldn't do for us all to be the same would it?  :-)

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to one and all.  These weeks are really whizzing by aren't they?  I'm having a catch up day today cos I had a 'Nanny Annie' day yesterday.  M popped out for the day with the twins so the sewing was firmly put on the 'to do' rail....it can always wait cos my little Grandies will be all grown up before I know it. 

So  folks whats on my desks today?

Here is my table covered with the gorgeous fabric kits Jo from Jozart bought for our new arrivals so I'm busy working on these in between other jobs....I know the babes will have to be rather older before they will play with them but I really am enjoying all the snipping, sewing and stuffing.

My kitchen is smelling wonderful cos these have just come out of the oven....Parmesan and sun dried tomato rolls today....please help yourselves to one for lunch.



My sewing desk is showing off two new Really Useful Boxes that now hold my cones of thread used for overlocking.....these should keep some of the dust out [that is if I ever put the tops on! ]




Here you can see two lovely pieces of fabric that I intend making a couple of little dresses for little Lexi.  Twiglet took a pattern off a little dress that fits Lexi well and has already made her 3 little dresses so running up a couple more will be easy.

My ironing board is covered with Christmas fabrics.  I have so many!  I plan to make my Christmas cards and stockings using these  :-)

Watch this space as they say  :-)

This is a pot full of Cuttlebugged flowers cut from some of the Christmas fabrics and a sheet of cross stitched little robins.....wonder what these will become?.....even I don't know yet  :-)

And finally for those that like to see how the twinnies are growing here is the latest photo.... awwwwww.  I snapped this quick for you yesterday while they were here with me for the day with their Mummy.
Their Mummy and Daddy are doing such a great job that they now weigh in at...

Sam 9lb 13oz
and
Lexi 7lb 14oz

So folks that's what's on my 'desks' today.  Clutter clutter everywhere and lots to do on my 'to do' rail too  :-)  Please leave me a little 'hello' comment before you move on to the 'Queen of snoop's' blog and join in the WOYWW fun [and of course to find out more if you are the one person in the world that hasn't heard what WOYWW is yet].

WOYWW...

Well folks here we are on yet another Wednesday.....where do these weeks go?

I'm doing a picture heavy post today cos I had another wonderful 'Nanny Annie' day with the gorgeous twinnies yesterday so that means I will be playing catch up today with my sewing.

Firstly I'm sharing my birthday flowers with you all.  They were just too lovely to keep all to myself  :-)

On funday Monday this week we decided we would all enjoy a dumfing session [for those that still don't know what we call dumfing then you can click on the link on the right hand side to find out more  :-) ].  I'm still not feeling very creative and spend most of my crafting time lately following a knitting pattern so that my lack of  mojo hasn't been really missed. 

Our dear friend T, that joins us on our funday Monday sessions, bought me  this gorgeous birthday card to give me some inspiration so of course it would have been rude not to have used it.

So, using my card as inspiration this is what I came up with during our fun afternoon and I'm rather pleased with it.  I snapped it before framing it so you can enlarge it to see the beading it in detail.

This is the black frame I have put it in but of course it reflects the glass when snapping it.

Not all my knitting is as successful as I hoped...these are supposed to be a prem size pair of booties for Lexi but I feel they have turned out more like knitted wellies  :-)

This is what is on my desk today so if I fail to pop over to your blog to say hello this week please forgive me...I shall have to clear this mountain of sewing first.

Of course my Wednesday blog post wouldn't be complete without an awwwww moment.  This is a copy of the photo of the twins that was taken professionally in hospital.  

I just love it.  :-)

So folks,  before you pop over to Julia's blog please leave me a comment if only to say hello.  Hope you all have a great week and I will do my best to pop over to see what you've been up to when I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

I'm a bit late today but I have a really good excuse.  I normally type up my Wednesday post on Tuesday night and put it to launch automatically so I can start my day's sewing first thing on a Wednesday morning but last night I had some rather special visitors that filled my house with love.  The two new additions to our family came to visit with their mummy and daddy and so did their big cousins with their mummy [still playing the waiting game for number 3 to arrive...it won't be long now] and to join in the fun their Uncle M and Auntie G came too.  The first fun gathering of the clan with all our children and grandchildren and very probably the only one while we only have 4 grandchildren cos little Steve will be coming out to play very soon.  :-)

How much love can you fit on one settee? It's only a 3 seater but I can count 8 on there if I can count the one tucked up inside his mummy  :-)

Big cousins enjoying a cuddle with their baby cousins.  :-)

Here is one very organised new daddy showing us how to transport twins.  :-)

The health visitor is really pleased with the twinnies cos little Lexi has gone from 4lb to 5 lb and her big brother Sam has gone from 5lb 13oz to 6lb 8oz.  What a great job M and B are doing.  

 On my desk today you can see the two boxes full of little African dresses all cut out ready to make....and this is just some of them cos Twiglet has lots more cut out and ready up at her house......looks like I have a bit of catching up to do with my dress making doesn't it?

Sitting watching me is the last Mr Tumble doll that I was asked to make.  Yes he is still here....because the lady that ordered him just never emailed me back! Why would anyone order something and then just disappear?

So if you know any little person who would like to own a Mr Tumble dolly then please email me for details....he will have red buttons when finished but these will be made of felt if the child it is wanted for is under 3 years old for safety reasons.

Well folks thats all from me for today....I have sewing waiting for me and the postman should bring me more gorgeous wool today to knit some chunky cardies with so I had better get moving  :-)  Thanks for dropping in.  Hope you all have a great week.

Hugs,

Annie x